


Ready for Love

by CuriousDinosaur



Category: Night at the Museum (2006 2009), natm
Genre: Falling In Love, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Long-Term Relationship(s), Love, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-05-22
Packaged: 2018-03-12 05:33:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3345425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriousDinosaur/pseuds/CuriousDinosaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Octavius and Jedediah.<br/>Lots of love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Evening had come, bringing life to the lifeless in the Museum. 

Different noble and great figures from ancient history, wondrous specimens of animals, whole exhibits, moved about during the night. 

Among them, standing proud despite his extremely small size,( he was normally a small plastic figurine during the day ), was the centurion General Octavius. At the moment, he stood before his friend, the Old Western Cowboy, Jedediah. Octavius and Jedediah seemed like quite an odd pair, but anyone who knew them could see that they were the best of friends.

Anyone who _really_  knew them could see that Octavius was hopelessly in love with Jedediah. 

Octavius sighed as he looked down at the forlorn cowboy before him. It was early in the evening, he had unfrozen and quickly made his way to the Old Western diorama where Jed resided during the days. He had found Jed sitting on a rock with his head in his hands, his large black cowboy hat hiding his face. Octavius had approached Jed quietly, standing a foot or so away from him. It was rare to see the cowboy upset, it only happened when they had been in danger. 

"Jedediah," he called softly.

The cowboy looked up and at Octavius. No matter how much the Roman General prepared himself, Octavius always felt a loss of breath when he would look upon Jedediah's handsome face. The cowboy's blue eyes met his brown ones, and they looked sad.

"Hey partner." Jed greeted him quietly. 

"Jed... what is troubling you, my friend?" Octavius asked, truly concerned. 

Jed stood up, flicking his hat upwards to look at Octavius better. The cowboy reached to his side, grabbing his odd weapon the "gun" and held it in front of Octavius. 

"Tell me what this is, Octy."

Octavius eyed the weapon in Jed's hand, the silver flashing in the light.

"It's a gun."

"Yeah, just _a_  gun! My other ones gone missin'!" Jed spat angrily. 

A look of realization came over Octavius.

"Oh! I'm very sorry to hear that Jed. Have you looked around your diorama?" Octavius asked gently.

Jed kicked the dirt in frustration, his boot sending up a small cloud of dust.  

"Yeah... It's been a few days since I saw it was missin'... I can't find it anywhere here." Jed replied glumly.

"I see... Jed! Let us search for your missing weapon together! We can go around the museum in the car!" Octavius suggested brightly.

Jed looked thoughtful before flashing Octavius a brilliant smile. He jumped over to Octavius, pulling the Roman into a tight hug. Octavius hugged Jed back, trying to hide his own large smile. 

"You're the best, Octy! Let's get shakin'!"  

Octavius felt his heart flutter, as Jed took his hand in his own gloved one, and off they went to search.  

* * *

 An hour and a half later the centurion and the cowboy had not located the missing gun. Octavius could see Jed's spirits dropping with each passing minute, before the cowboy sped to Octavius' diorama, where he stopped the car. 

"Thanks partner. But I'm thinkin' we're not gonna find it tonight." Jed sighed and looked at Octavius with a small smile. 

 "I'm sorry we didn't find it, Jed. Perhaps we shall resume the search tomorrow evening?" Octavius suggested.

"Heh. Maybe..." Jed muttered.

Octavius sighed, reaching to open the car door when he felt a hand grab his left arm. Octavius turned to ask Jed what was wrong when the cowboy leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Octavius' cheek. Octavius felt himself blush and he stared at Jedediah with wide eyes. 

"Thanks for your help Octy."

Octavius could only nod and he exited the car, watching as Jed drove off. The Roman sighed again, removing his helmet and running his hand through his short hair. He had enjoyed the brief show of affection from Jed, and wondered what it meant. Octavius knew that Jed was aware of his attraction to him, but they hadn't talked about it much. 

He wished that Jed wasn't so distraught about his gun. Octavius wondered what was so important about the cowboy having his weapon, but then he thought about if his sword went missing... he would most definitely be distraught, and there would be no doubt that Jed would help him find it. 

Octavius looked out the window, seeing that it was snowing. He watched as snowflakes fell slowly down the dark sky. It was only a couple of weeks ago that he and Jedediah had been out in the cold, doing their part to defeat the old tablet thieving fiends...

Octavius had an idea where Jed's gun could be. 

* * *

 "I shall find Jed's gun." Octavius told himself.

He knew that Larry would not let him outside, so he resolved to go by himself to find it. Octavius made his way to the back door where he and Jedediah had helped sabotage the old thieves. The door was closed, but there was of course a big enough crack in the door frame for him to slip through.

The cold hit him instantly. He was proud of his noble Roman attire and armor, but it could not stand against the chilling wind and heavy snow on the ground. But Octavius did his best to ignore his shivering and teeth chattering, and instead started searching for Jed's gun.

His eyes roamed the vast amount of white on the ground. Inwardly, he cursed himself for being this way. He was acting like a love-sick fool, trying to return Jedediah's happiness by finding his weapon. He wondered if he should stop and go back when something silver glinted in his vision a few feet from where he stood. Octavius marched as quickly as he could, but it was growing more difficult with the falling snow. His feet and legs were already feeling frozen. His lip was bleeding, he had bit it from his teeth chattering so hard. He was never one to throw vulgar words around, but Octavius now found himself cursing under his breath every other minute, using some very bad words he had learned from the use of the internet.

Octavius finally reached his destination, but whatever he had seen had disappeared under snow. Octavius knelt down and started pushing snow around with his arms and hand, concentrating hard to try and feel something other than the cold, icy, snow-

"A-ha!" Octavius cried triumphantly.

He had found Jed's other gun, and to his amazement it was not damaged at all. Octavius had been worried that it was destroyed. He held the cold weapon in his hand carefully, staring at it. It was a deadly thing, and yet it was fascinating at the same time. Jedediah had never told Octavius that he couldn't look at his guns, as the cowboy had desired to inspect his sword, but Octavius had never asked to look at them.

Octavius carefully placed the gun in his leather pouch at his waist. It didn't quite fit, but it made Octavius feel better not holding the strange weapon. The centurion once again realized he was going numb with cold. He rubbed his hands together roughly, and even though his legs hurt, he began his march back to the huge door.

The Roman marched and marched, but the door still seemed so far away. Octavius was so cold that he had even stopped cursing and was now silent, focused on getting back to the door. He tried to think of other things as he lifted his legs through the terribly heavy snow. He was proud that he had found Jedediah's gun. He knew that the cowboy would be pleased. Despite the cold, Octavius felt a blush creep to his face, as he imagined Jed's large smile. When the western man was happy, his blue eyes shone like a clear blue sky and Octavius felt he could gaze into them for eternity.

Was he dreaming? Octavius wondered if he had reached the door yet, but it seemed as if he had stopped moving all together. It was just so cold. Why did he come alone? Why hadn't he told anyone where he was going? He couldn't think straight anymore, not when it came to Jedediah, to seeing the cowboy happy. Octavius felt frozen. He gritted his teeth, willing himself to push through more of the snow, but he felt dizzy and slow. He saw a figure before him, the same built as himself. Octavius felt himself call out to the figure, but couldn't even hear his words over the wind. Slowly, the centurion realized that the dark figure was, to his horror, his shadow.

"Oh no."

The sun was coming up, behind the dark clouds and heavy snow, it was morning. Octavius realized what a terrible situation he was in, and was for the first time in a long time, frightened beyond belief. No one would know he was out here, and he knew he couldn't go on. Octavius fell to his knees, surrounded by ice, and he didn't have long to wait before he froze completely, turning once more into a tiny Roman figurine. Snowflakes continued to fall, until the last bit of red that Octavius wore disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

Larry Daley ran like hell was on his heels. His heart was pounding, fearing the worst.

He was the night security guard for The Museum of Natural History. Things came alive at night, which made every evening of Larry's job interesting as he spent time with famous figures, mischievous animals, and a rather demanding statue. 

But some nights, like tonight, were beyond stressful. 

This evening, Larry had been making his final rounds of the night, bidding his museum friends a good morning. He had to make sure that everyone was in their exhibits before the sun rose. They had all come to an agreeable and organized way of spending their nights alive, and returning to their exhibits was now no trouble. Larry had sighed, satisfied that morning was nearly here. He was tired, it sucked getting old. 

He walked quietly, waving to different exhibits who said their goodbyes. He twirled his flashlight around in his hand, whistling. He was walking past the miniature Roman Empire, when he heard a collective cry of "LARRY!" come from the diorama. Larry quickly made his way over to where the tiny people were shouting and calling his name.

"Hey, hey! What's wrong, guys?" Larry asked loudly.

"Larry! It's General Octavius! He has been missing all evening and has not returned!" One of the soldiers shouted, his voice trying to not show his evident panic.

"What?! Okay, uh... Okay! I'll check with Jedediah and see if he's with him. Hang tight guys, I'll find him!" He told the soldiers, before running over to the Western Diorama.  

 Larry stopped in front of the diorama, his eyes scanning the scene, looking for the familiar cowboy. 

"Jed! Jedediah!" Larry called. 

He watched as Jed emerged from behind a small tent. 

"What is it Gigantor? What are you yellin' for?" The cowboy asked disgruntled. 

"Jed, have you seen Octavius tonight? I thought you guys were hanging out." Larry asked quickly. 

Jed squinted up at Larry, confused. 

"Yeah, we were "hanging out" earlier this evenin'. I dropped him off at his place a while back."  He told Larry. 

Larry let out an exasperated noise, this was bad. The sun was almost up, and Octavius was so small. Where could he be?

"Larry... What's going on? Where's Octavius?" Jed asked, his voice suddenly filled with worry. 

"I don't know Jed... But I have to find him! He could get hurt." Larry sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I want to help! I want to help find Octy! He's, he's my best partner! We gotta find him!" Jed exclaimed, stamping a boot in the dirt. 

Larry felt so bad. He almost wished he hadn't asked Jedediah, he knew that Octavius and Jedediah were close. Even being so small, Larry saw Jed's blue eyes fill with sadness and fear and it hurt his heart. 

"Jed, I want you to help, but it's pretty much morning. I'm going to stay for as long as I can and look for him before anyone says anything." 

He saw the cowboy grit his teeth and lower his head, the cowboy hat cast a shadow over his face. Larry could hear his voice shaking as he said, 

"Please... find Octavius, Larry." 

And then the cowboy once again became a plastic miniature. 

* * *

 Larry was not often scared, but right now he was terrified.

He sat down on a bench, holding a cup of coffee in his shaking hands. He was exhausted and felt hopeless. People walked past him, but he didn't notice anyone as he sat there, his mind struggling to focus. He had spent the entire morning and afternoon, searching high and especially low, hoping and praying that he would find the little Roman General somewhere. He had watched museum patrons walking through the halls, wondering if someone would step on Octavius, or find him on the floor and pocket the little figurine. It drove Larry crazy to think of it.

But Larry felt that Octavius would be smart enough to not leave himself out in the open, wherever he was. Larry pondered some more, sitting on the cold bench. It had been a cold day in New York, and snow was beginning to fall as the day approached evening. Larry would have to be back at the Museum in an hour for another shift. He hoped that the inhabitants of the museum could help find Octavius. But as Larry thought about it, he decided that the less panic there was, the better. He would ask Teddy and Ahkmenrah for their help, as well as Jedediah of course.

Poor Jed. He wanted to kick himself for telling Jed that Octavius was missing. The cowboy had had to freeze up realizing his best friend was in trouble, and Larry knew that Jed would come alive tonight, most likely kicking and screaming, to find Octavius. 

Larry sighed, kicking some snow up with his shoe. 

And then froze. 

"Oh shit." Larry whispered. 

A terrible thought occurred to him. He knew he had checked every inch of the museum for Octavius, but could it be? Maybe Octavius was outside somewhere!

His coffee fell to the ground, the hot liquid spilling from the cup melting the snow. Larry jumped from his seat and began running back to the museum.

They would find Octavius, they had to. 

* * *

 Like every night, Jedediah felt himself become flesh and blood again. He never thought about his dreams, because he didn't have many, but this dream lingered in his mind as he moved his limbs. He had dreamed of Octavius. They had been laying together in a green field of soft grass. He had felt the warmth of sunlight, something he never got to experience in reality, and he had sighed happily. He had taken off his hat, letting it rest on his chest, and when he turned his head to look at Octavius, he saw that the Roman had removed his helmet. The cowboy felt himself smile and he saw Octy flash him a brilliant smile of his own, his brown eyes crinkling in merriment.

And then Octavius' face was a mask of terror, his eyes losing their warmth. The sky had turned dark, the grass became brown and dead, and Jed tried reaching for Octavius' hand, but centurion had disappeared. 

Light came to Jed's eyes and the large museum came into focus. It was once again evening, and the memories of last night came crashing down into his mind. Jed had been a big baby about his gun, and Octy had helped him look for it like he knew his partner would. He remembered wanting to kiss Octavius, like he always did. He had finally mustered the courage to at least peck the Roman on the cheek, and was delighted when Octavius had accepted it. And then he had left him in front of his diorama. And now... Octavius was missing. 

Jed could feel his heart squeezing inside his chest. He wished he could have been alive during the day to help Larry find Octy, but it had been too late. 

Jed heard loud steps approaching and saw Larry stop in front of the Old West. 

"Larry! Did ya find Octy?!" Jedediah cried. 

Larry, with dark circles under his eyes and trying to catch his breath, shook his head.

"No! But I have an idea, and I need your help!" Gigantor gasped.

Larry reached a hand out and down for the cowboy to climb onto. Then Larry held Jed carefully as he began briskly walking. The cowboy saw his friends from the museum waking up and greeting him and Larry, but they kept walking. 

"Where are we going?" Jed asked. 

"Listen, I checked _everywhere_ inside the museum today and I couldn't find Octavius. So, I wondered, maybe he's outside. Jed, do you have any idea why Octavius would go outside by himself?" Larry questioned the cowboy. 

 Jed was quiet, thinking hard. He wasn't sure. Was Octy upset? Jed felt like an idiot. He had wasted an evening being stupid about a lost gun, (a gun that can't even shoot, no less), when he could have spent it with Octavius. They had grown closer and closer, and they both knew that there were feelings developing between the both of them. Maybe Octy had just helped him to be nice, but he had just wanted to spend time with Jed. Jed took his other gun from it's holster, looking at it, feeling more and more angry. His brain was putting the pieces together, and much to his horror, Jed realized what Octavius must have done. 

"I think Octy went outside to find my missin' gun! I... was complainin' 'bout it last night and Octy... he must've went out and tried to find it. Heck, he probably did find it but got stuck somewhere!" Jed explained to Larry. 

"Are you kidding me! Jed, why would he do that? He should know better!" Larry snapped at him. 

Jed looked down, feeling terrible. They had reached the back door, where Jed and Octavius had gone out and punctured the tire a few weeks ago. 

"Jed, the only thing I can think is that Octavius is crazy about you."

Jed's head snapped up and he stared at Larry he looked at him seriously. 

"He's much smarter and level-headed than you, and you're making him do dumb things because of his feelings. When...or if we find him... you need to think about talking to him. I won't talk to you about relationships, but... you two need to figure things out." Larry told the cowboy. 

Jed felt himself blush. Were they that obvious? But he knew Larry was right. 

They had reached the back door, and Larry opened it, pushing the door all the way. Jed felt the cold winter wind hit him and he shivered in his light blue shirt. It was snowing, large snowflakes drifting slowly. Jed remembered how cold it had been when they had gone out on their mission together, but somehow it was even colder tonight. 

"Okay Jed, I need you to do something." Larry said, kneeling down on the floor, and placing his hand down in the snow.

"Anything!" Jed yelled as he jumped into the white snow. It was freezing cold, but he gritted his teeth. 

"I need you to walk around and search for Octavius. I can't walk out there, 'cause I might step on him, but I'll run my fingers through and try to find him. We need to hurry, he could be..." Larry didn't finish his thought.

Jed nodded and got to work, pushing through the snow. His clothes were already wet and cold, but he kicked and pushed the snow out of his way. His heart was pounding in his chest. He wanted Octy to be alive. He needed him to be alive. 

The wind whipped at his face, and he squinted his eyes. His gloves dug at the snow as quickly as possible. They had been searching for almost an hour, Larry moving his fingers carefully through the snow. Jed saw that his fingers were red from the cold, and he couldn't help a small warmth that reached his heart. Larry was a better man than he could ever be, he cared so much about everyone in museum. Jed felt a lump in his throat and he swallowed, feeling tears in his eyes. He grunted, pushing and shoving snow harder and faster, feeling himself grow more and more desperate with each passing minute. 

"Jed, are you okay?" Larry asked. 

Jed shook his head and kept at it. He needed to find Octy! He needed-

He thought his heart would explode like dynamite in his chest. He saw a glimpse of red in the snow, not too far ahead. He began to run as quickly as he could move his legs through the heavy snow. Larry saw him run and his heart leapt. 

"Jed?!" 

"Larry, I think!-"

The cowboy reached where he had seen the red, and his hands were a blur. He saw an arm, which was connected to a frozen body face down. Jed had found him, He had found Octavius. 

"LARRY!" Jed shouted. 

He heard Larry move close to where he was. Jed turned Octavius over. The centurion was frozen, his lips blue and his eyes closed. Without a word, Larry scooped Jed and Octavius up in his hand and they were back in the warmth of the museum. 

Larry looked straight ahead as he walked, but he heard the soft sobs that came from Jedediah as the cowboy held Octavius in his arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beautiful fan art by FriendlyObservant !  
> http://friendlyobservant.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

Larry brought Jedediah and an unconcious Octavius to the front desk. He set them down, and Jed stayed at Octavius' side, holding onto the Roman. Larry stood by them, not sure what to do. 

"O-Octy? Larry...is he...tell me he's not dead. Please." The cowboy pleaded, holding Octavius tightly in his arms.

Jed didn't try to stop the hot tears that spilled down his cheeks, and a few landed in Octavius' face, and he wiped them gently away with his thumb. Jed held Octavius' frozen hand in his.

"I need you to take his armor off, Jed, and check for a heartbeat." Larry urged the cowboy.

Jed nodded and did just that, removing the freezing cold armor as quickly and gently as he could. He saw, in Octy's leather pouch at his waist, that Octy had found his gun. He shook his head, continuing to remove the armor. He couldn't stand how cold Octy felt, and Jed shivered when he placed a hand over the Romans chest. Jed waited, trying to breathe but his breath kept leaving him. After a minute, Jed's heart felt like it was about to shatter when he felt something under his fingertips. A slow heartbeat reached his hand and Jed could have hollered for joy right there but knew that he had to get Octavius warm.

"Larry! There's a heartbeat! It's small, but he's fightin'. That's my Octy!" Jed cried, tears still running down his face.

Larry let go of the breath he had been holding.

"Oh thank god. Thank god." Larry whispered.

"But he's still freezin' cold, Gigantor! We need something to warm him up, and quick." Jed shouted for Larry to hear.

"Yeah, I agree. Uh...." Larry was thinking as quickly as he could.

An idea finally reached him.

"Jed, I know what to do, I just need you to do something." Larry explained quickly.

"Sure thing!" Jed exclaimed.

"You need to get Octavius out of his wet clothes."

Jedidiah felt his face heat up, and he almost dropped Octavius in his arms.

"Oh...sure I can do that...but uh... I need you to put us somewhere private. Octy would probably prefer that." Jed managed to say.

Larry nodded, and in a minute he had opened a drawer of the front desk, emptying it of its few contents of office supplies, and had laid his hand out flat for Jed to carry Octavius on with him. Larry set them down gently, and Jed laid Octavius down again.

"Go ahead and get him ready. I'll be right back." Larry told him, before running off.

"Ready for what?" Jed wondered out loud, before carefully removing Octavius' wet clothes from his body.

It didn't take long, since the Roman wore so little, but it was somewhat difficult with him being unconcious. But perhaps it was better that way. Jed was feeling pretty bashful undressing Octavius, and he did his best to avoid looking, well, there. But it was hard, even now, for the cowboy to not notice the handsome physique of the man before him. Octavius was fit with a handsome face. Jed wished that Octy would open his eyes, he loved their warmth. Jed had removed his gloves, and he gently ran a hand through Octy's hair.

He was glad that they were alone. Jed couldn't pretend to act like the tough cowboy he always was when Octavius was like this. Jed leaned foward, and without thinking he brushed his lips in a soft kiss on Octy's forehead. Jed heard loud footsteps coming and looked up to see Larry slightly out of breath, holding a coffee mug in his hand.

"Gigantor? What-" Jed started, but Larry set the coffee cup down in the drawer, right next to Jed and Octavius.

"I got you warm water. I need you to touch it, see if it's too hot, and then if its alright, you can put Octavius in there." Larry explained.

Jed stood quickly and ran over to the mug. Thankfully, it wasn't too tall, and he reached a hand and carefully touched the water in the cup. It was hot, but didn't burn at all. It would be perfect for Octavius to thaw in.

"Jus' right Larry!" Jed called.

"Okay, I'm gonna go check on the rest of the museum. I'm glad he's okay, but he's gonna need you Jed. You might, er...you might need to get in there with him to hold him up." Larry said nervously, looking down.

But Jed only nodded. Larry carefully pushed the drawer mostly closed, and Jed understood it as a way to give them privacy. There was a small sliver of light so Jed could see what he was doing. He didn't want to waste any time, and removed his clothes with lightening speed, throwing them down. Octavius had not moved or said anything.

* * *

 Jed, now nude, felt his whole body flush with heat as he lifted Octavius bridal style into his arms and carried him the short distance to the mug of water. The cowboy carefully placed Octavius into the water, leaning the Roman against the mug, and then quickly got into the water as well. He felt the warm water on his body, and it felt great after he had been digging around in the snow. He held Octavius in his arms for a while, feeling the Roman's cold skin against his. The hot water was helping, and Jed couldn't help but enjoy it too. Octavius was still not moving, but his chest had started to rise and fall more noticeably. Jed gently rubbed Octy's arms and back and face and would slightly dip Octy's body into the water again when Jed felt him getting cold. Jed whispered to him, still shaking from the cold of Octavius' body, and from the scare of almost losing his favorite person in the whole world.

"You're supposed to be smarter than me. I don't care 'bout a stupid gun more than I care 'bout you." He murmured against Octavius' hair.

"When you wake up and are feelin' better, we're gonna have to talk about stuff. I need you to know... I love you too damn much for you to go gettin' frozen outside."

Jed was surprised to hear himself say those words out loud. He could feel himself blush. He never would have thought he'd be revealing his affections in a bath to the other man, and now here they were. At least Octavius couldn't hear-

"...You... love me?..." 

Jed nearly jumped out of his skin. Octavius had opened his eyes and was shivering.

"Octy!! You're awake!!" Jed cried, hugging Octavius tightly.

"Jed... what happened? Where...are we?" Octavius asked slowly, groaning as he stretched his limbs.He didn't remove himself from Jed's embrace, but turned his dark eyes up to look at Jedediah.

"I'm so glad you're okay partner!" Jed beamed at him. He was beyond happy to hear Octavius' voice again. Before he could stop himself, his head came down and he kissed Octavius, slowly and sweetly. He had felt Octavius' hitch in breath, and could feel his body burning with heat, but he wanted to kiss Octy so badly. He held the Roman's face in his hands, and Octavius slowly reached a hand up to run shaking fingers through Jed's hair.

Their lips parted, and Octavius smiled languidly at Jed, who smiled in return.

"Do you...you love me Jedediah?" Octavius asked quietly.

Jed, with his heart beating fast, nodded.

"Sure do." he whispered. Why deny it now. 

Octavius' hand cupped Jed's cheek. The cowboy looked down into the Roman's dark eyes.

" _Te amo_." Octavius whispered.

"I think I know what that means." Jed said, smiling at Octy.

"How did you know where to find me?" Octavius inquired, closing his eyes.

"Gigantor found ya. You were buried in the snow outside. I guess its good that you froze as plastic before you froze to death." Jed explained.

Octavius nodded his head against Jed's chest. 

"I will thank Larry for saving me. And I want to apologize... I'm sorry for making you worry, Jed. I just... I wanted to help." Octavius sighed.

Jed shook his head and wrapped his arms around Octy.

"Don't go gettin' yourself frozen for a gun. I'm sorry I was bein' such a big baby 'bout losin it. You're way more important to me."He told the Roman.

Octavius smiled. Jed realized that Octy wasn't so cold anymore, which made him feel better. Octavius groaned and sat up slowly. He rubbed his head and neck before he went completely still.

"Jed... we're in a bath."

"Uh-huh."

"And... we're both completely naked."

"Yup."

Octavius looked at Jed, the cowboy could see the blush in the Roman's cheeks.

"It was Larry's idea." Jed pointed out.

Octavius shook his head.

"Its fine. I'm just surprised." He admitted.

Jedidiah smirked. He knew that this wasn't about the bath. Whenever he traveled over to Octy's diorama, he sometimes saw the Roman soldiers bathing together. Jed knew he was reckless and bold as any true cowboy, but what he did next suprised himself. He couldn't keep his eyes off of Octavius. The Roman was handsome, his face and body were absolutely perfect to Jed. He had known that he loved Octavius for a while, but this knew feeling, this...lust, had come to him more and more when he thought about Octavius. He wasn't sure a plastic figurine could feel this way, but as he watched drops of water run slowly down the centurion's smooth muscled chest, he felt the heat elsewhere in his body and his heart speed up. His blue eyes met Octvius' brown and they gazed at one another. At some point, Jed had moved closer to Octavius.

"How are you feeling partner?" Jed asked quietly, his face close to Octavius'.

"I'm finding myself becoming more and more...warm." Octavius breathed. 

Jed's arms wrapped around Octavius and he heard the centurion gasp before Jed's lips met his. Jed could have frozen permanently at that moment and would not have given a damn. Octy's lips were wonderful- strong, soft, and somewhat cold, but Jed would fix that right now. Octavius had lifted his hands to Jed's chest, and the cowboy shivered, not knowing if it was because Octy's hands were cold or because his body was so hot. Each kiss slid into another perfectly, and they brought their bodies closer and closer slowly. 

Soon they parted, breathing hard. Jed held Octy's face in his hands, their foreheads touching. He saw Octy's handsome face break into a bashful smile, and he closed his eyes, moaning inwardly. This was crazy and wonderful and new to him. He felt it, he knew he was hard beneath the water. But doing anything else aside from kissing Octy would be too much at the moment, for the both of them. 

Jed opened his eyes, smiling at Octavius. 

"Jed?" 

The cowboy brought his lips once more to Octavius', making the other man moan. Jed's hands held Octy's shoulders, but slowly slid to his neck and jaw. He felt Octy's mouth open slightly, and Jed darted his tongue between the other man's lips. Octavius tasted amazing, and he felt his entire body shudder when he felt their tongues meet and move together. Jed felt like he would pass out from the pleasure, but thankfully they broke apart once more. 

Octavius was breathing hard and Jed saw the Roman bite his lip. 

"I'm tryin' to control m'self, Octy." Jed whispered. 

Octavius nodded and blushed, his face turning red. 

 "Jed! Is Octavius okay?"

Jed nearly jumped through the drawer. It was Larry, returning to check in on them. 

"Jed?" He heard Larry ask.

"He's fine Gi- I mean Larry! But could ya bring us some sort of towel to dry off?" Jedediah asked loudly enough for Larry to hear. 

"Sure, be right back." He heard Larry say. He heard the giant man's steps as he walked away. 

He turned back to Octavius who was smiling sheepishly at him. 

"Did my absence cause a lot of commotion in the museum?" Octy asked Jed.

The cowboy shook his head. 

"Not really, Larry and I were tryin' to find ya without the whole place gettin' crazy." Jed told him, taking the centurion's hands in his own. 

"But I was goin' crazy worryin', Octy." Jed continued. 

"I apologize. I shouldn't have gone by myself..." Octavius admitted lowering his head. 

"Hey... I don't want to lose you Octy. Screw the damn gun. I won't go gettin' upset 'bout something like that again." The cowboy promised.

They hugged each other tightly before they heard Larry calling their names again. 

"Open the drawer a little, Larry!" Jed yelled. 

Light poured in as Larry slid the drawer open carefully. Larry caught sight of Octavius awake and looked relieved. 

"Octavius, are you okay?" Larry asked.

"I am much better. If I were not so exposed, I would stand and thank you properly, My Liege." Octavius told Larry. 

Larry placed two dry washcloths into the drawer. 

"Here you go guys. Dry off so we can talk." Was all he said, and pushed the drawer inwards.

 "I got a feelin' we're in trouble." Jed said, grinning at Octy. 

"I think your feeling is correct." Octavius agreed, giving the cowboy a small smile. 

* * *

 They had gotten out of the large coffee cup soon after. Jed helped Octavius out, because the Roman's legs were somewhat unsteady. Jed could see in Octy's face that he was happy, but tired.

Octavius averted his eyes as Jedediah walked over and grabbed the towels and dragged them over to where Octavius stood, bashfully covering himself with his hands in modesty. Jed playfully threw the towel on top of Octy, and he heard the other man chuckle as he started to dry himself off.

"These feel lovely." Octavius sighed, wrapping the towel around himself. It was much larger than Octy, and the centurion looked quite silly.

"Yeah, that bath sure was nice. We should do that 'gain some time." Jed blurted out before he could stop himself. He felt himself blush and looked at Octy nervously.

But Octavius' cheeks turned pink and he nodded.

"I'd...I'd enjoy that."

 They dressed quickly, Jed helping Octavius with his armor. The Roman general was still weak from a terrible night in the cold, and Jed heard Octavius sneeze loudly as the cowboy placed his hat on his head. 

"Bless ya! You alright?" Jed asked.

Octavius was about to reply when he sneezed again, covering his face with his arm. Jed smiled sadly at Octy.

"It would seem that I am ill." Octavius answered glumly. 

"Aw... We'll get ya better. Come on!" Jed assured him, taking Octavius' hand. 

They climbed out of the drawer, and stood upon the desk. They saw that Larry was speaking to Ahkmenrah quietly, when the Pharaoh spotted the two miniatures, he approached them quickly.

"Octavius! Are you well, my friend?" Ahkmenrah asked gently.

"Yes, thanks to Jedediah and Larry, I am alive and-" he paused to sneeze again, "mostly well..." Octavius said.

Jed had walked over to the large Kleenex box on the desk, yanking at one of the tissues until it came out of the box, and walked back to Octavius with it. 

" _Gratias vobis ago_." Octavius murmured to Jed, and began to rip the tissue into smaller pieces for him to use. [  
](http://www.omniglot.com/soundfiles/latin/thanks2_latin.mp3)

"I'll go make you some tea." Ahkmenrah said smiling, and walked away.

Larry looked down at the two miniatures. Jed had suddenly become preoccupied with his hat and Octavius fidgeted with the tissue in his hands.

"Guys, I'm really glad everyone is okay. But please, _please_ don't let this happen again." Larry pleaded. 

"You have my word My Liege, and I thank you for saving my life. I am forever in your debt." Octavius stated seriously. 

"No worries, Larry!" Jed hollered up at him. 

Larry smiled, looking tired, and walked away from the desk. Octavius sighed, sinking down to sit on the desk. Jed sat down close beside him, placing a hand on top of Octy's. 

"It's been a long night, huh?" The cowboy said, yawning. 

"Indeed." Octavius murmured. He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself.

Ahkmenrah had come back, holding a cup of tea carefully in his hands. The Pharaoh set the cup down on the desk, and from a pocket he pulled out two tiny tea cups that they had for the miniatures to drink from. He spooned tea into the tiny cups carefully, as Jedediah stood and went over to retrieve them.

"Thanks Ahk! Um... Can I ask for 'nother favor? Can you find Octy here some sorta blanket. He's shivering still." Jed politely asked the king. He glanced back at Octavius, who looked half asleep.

"Of course. I'll be right back." Ahk replied, and went away, holding his large cup of tea in his hands.

Jed carried their cups over to Octavius, setting them at the Roman's feet before sitting back down next to him. Octavius looked up sleepily and smiled when he saw the steaming cup of liquid. He picked up a cup and held it close, enjoying the warmth. The centurion took a small careful sip.

"That is wonderful." Octy sighed happily. 

Jed chuckled and picked up his own cup and took a sip. He couldn't help staring at Octavius, watching the man take small sips. He had been scared to death of losing him only a few hours ago, and now they were sitting together having tea. And... they were in love. He was in love with Octavius, he had wasted time and energy trying to hide and deny his own feelings for too long. They spent every night together, every moment filled with conversation, bantering, laughter. They would have quiet moments in the RC where the wanting to touch or express their feelings was obvious, but neither would say anything, and so they were silent, staring at one another. Octavius taught Jedediah Latin, the language of love. So the cowboy who had never thought of another, now thought of poems in his head all in Latin, that he wanted to speak to Octavius. Jedediah admired how different Octavius was, how eloquent and noble the centurion was compared to himself. He was attracted to the dark hair, brown eyes, deep voice, brilliant smile...

Jedediah jumped when he felt something being placed on him. Ahkmenrak had returned, placing a small piece of woven cloth around Jed and Octy's shoulders. It was soft and warm, perfect for the two miniatures. 

"Sacagawea made this. She hopes you feel better, Octavius."

They thanked him and the Pharaoh went on his way. Jedediah blushed, realizing that he and Octy were wrapped up in the blanket together. Octavius had his eyes closed, the almost empty cup of tea he held loosely in his hands. Jed took the cup from Octy, placing it on the desk, and covered Octy's legs and feet with the blanket. Jed, mustering some courage, wrapped his arm around Octavius. The Roman leaned in closer against Jedediah. Jed could feel his slow breathing, and rested his chin on Octy's head. The museum was growing more and more quiet, for morning would be here soon. 

"Octy?" Jed whispered.

"Mmm?" 

"Can we spend tomorrow night t'gether?" Jed asked nervously.

The Roman raised his head slightly to look into Jedediah's blue eyes. 

"I would love nothing more."

 Jed pressed his lips gently against Octavius'.

An hour later, Larry had carried them back to their separate dioramas. Octavius and Jedediah had hugged each other goodnight, Jed making the centurion blush when the cowboy whispered " _Te amo_." in his ear, before Larry took him away.

When the sun came up, the cowboy had a frozen smile to match the bright new day. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Te amo: I love you  
> Gratias vobis ago: Thank you


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen to Bad Company's song "Ready for Love" to enjoy even more.

Octavius held his hand out of the window of the RC, feeling the cool wind against his skin. It was a warm summer night , but the inhabitants of the museum were comfortable in the air conditioning while the rest of New York City felt the sweltering heat of August. 

Jedediah grinned as he drove their car. The cowboy had said that he wanted to show Octavius something he had found the other night. Octavius had been curious, and had tried asking Jed what it was, but he wouldn't say.  

It had been two years since he had been lost in the snow. Octavius and Jedediah had become a couple, and they were inseparable. Octavius felt almost guilty for how much time he spent with Jedediah, but the cowboy seemed to not mind. Some days he had waited in his diorama, instead of coming to meet Jed at the front desk, and he was startled when he heard a tiny screech of tires and soon after Jed came up cursing as he climbed the rope, only to run up to Octavius with a worried look on his face. 

Octavius felt almost evil as he relished in the attention of the handsome man. They both tried to maintain their individual personas around their friends and their dioramas. Octavius, with his elegant and serious Roman General manners, and Jedediah's rough Texas enthusiasm. But when the two came together they were a sweet couple. 

They watched cat videos together, laughing at the silliness of felines chasing red lasers. They pulled pranks, aiming to make their victims laugh with them in good fun. Jedediah showed Octavius interesting rope tricks or sometimes he played his guitar, which Octavius really liked. In return, he taught Jedediah about the stars, and how to use a sword. They watched movies, a lot of movies, going through Larry's son's "Netflix" account. They would hold hands while they watched. Octavius would find himself so immersed in a movie sometimes that when his eyes flicked away for a moment he would realize Jedediah was curled up next to him. On holidays they would exchange small gifts. Jedediah had gotten him many gifts of dark chocolate (his favorite) and he would give Jedediah drawings he made, or a new shirt if he could get Larry's help to get some new ones. Jedediah always grew flustered, muttering things such as "Cowboys don't need no gifts!", but Octavius knew he loved them. 

They learned much about each other. Not every day was perfect harmony, and they would bicker sometimes about small things. However, before the evening was over, they would embrace each other and apologize, promising to see each other tomorrow. Octavius learned what made Jedediah happy, sad, irritated. Jedediah would sometimes be angry at their size, he hated feeling small. Octavius understood that Jedediah needed someone to listen and not speak. He would sit quietly as Jedediah ranted, sometimes he borrowed Octavius' sword to strike at a piece of wood. When Jedediah would stop, out of breath, a hand over his eyes to cover his tears, Octavius would finally stand, taking his sword from Jed, and would wrap his arms around him. 

Jedediah was always there for him too. Sometimes Octavius had trouble waking up, and when he finally did, Jed would be there holding him, his blue eyes wide with worry. It was worse when he had nightmares. He dreamed of terrible fires burning Rome, of assassins cutting his throat while he slept, he even dreamed of being lost in the snow again, shivering with despair in his heart. The worst was when he dreamed of something bad happening to Jedediah, the cowboy wounded and bleeding while crying out for Octavius or drowning in black water, gasping for air and clutching at his throat. He would scream, his heart shattering, until he felt Jed's strong arms shaking him gently, calling to him, he would wake up confused and afraid. He would cling to Jedediah, not wanting to let him go. 

 And then the nightmare came true. 

Jedediah had been in peril a few weeks ago. The magic tablet had been been stolen by Ahkmenrah's horrible brother, Kahmunrah. Jedediah had protected him, getting himself captured to save Octavius. He had watched, scared out of his mind as Jedediah was thrown into an hour glass. Sand poured heavily down as Jedediah let out a stream of taunts and curses. 

With the help of a squirrel, and a large statue of a President he had been able to come to Jedediah's aid. Jedediah was almost drowning in the sand, but the cowboy only grinned and remained brave even as their hands met against the glass. Jedediah wanted to speak of their relationship, and Octavius couldn't bare it, the cowboy was trying to say goodbye. In desperation he had pulled off his helmet, and with a cry he smashed the helmet against the glass. It shattered, and sand spilled out, along with a rather grumpy Jed. Octavius could have cried, he was so relieved. 

It had been a close call, but they were safe. 

* * *

 Octavius looked over at Jed, who was concentrating on driving. He reached and took Jedediah's hand in his own, gently squeezing. Jed glanced at him, smiling. 

"Will you tell me where we're going at some point?" Octavius asked curiously. 

"Not yet, partner." was all Jedediah said. 

It was a few more minutes before Jedediah slowed down and parked the car. Octavius looked out the window. They were somewhere deeper within the museum, it lacked any loud exhibits and there was no movement. Octavius found it to be quite peaceful. Jedediah had already gotten out of the RC and had come to Octavius' side, opening the door for him. Octavius stepped out of the car, unsure of what they were doing. Jed seemed to have a glint in his eye as he grabbed Octavius hand and they started walking behind a vase in a dark corner.

"Jedediah? What, oh!" Octavius gasped as Jed had pushed him against the wall, their bodies close together.

Octavius blinked, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light. Jed was looking at him strangely, and he was breathing deeply, his chest rising and falling. The cowboy licked his lips, his hands came up to hold the sides of Octavius' head softly. Octavius was sure he could hear his heart beating as Jedediah's lips met his. 

This kiss was different from their regular kisses. It didn't happen often, because Jedediah and Octavius were usually around others and wanted to maintain modesty, but when it did it was amazing. In the privacy of the RC when they had held each other close, they had kissed hard and long, their hands roaming each others bodies before they pulled away, blushing and breathing hard. 

So now, as Jed kissed him passionately, he felt this kiss meant more. He felt Jedediah's heart beating against his fingertips, his hands had come to the cowboy's chest. He felt Jedediah's love, sweet and strong in this kiss. They parted, only for Jedediah to bring his hands up to untie and lift Octavius' helmet from his head, and set it down at their feet. He felt a gloved hand come to hold the back of his head, and they were kissing again. He shivered when Jedediah bit his lip softly, and Octavius opened his mouth slightly and felt Jedediah's tongue meet his. Octavius couldn't stop a small moan from escaping as he wrapped his arms around Jed's shoulders. Jedediah's kiss felt desperate, full of longing and desire. 

Octavius moved his head away and they gazed at each other, breathing hard. Somehow he knew that tonight would be much different from others. They had limited their intimacy, but it had become evident that they wanted each other more... in that way. 

 Jed moved a denim clad leg between Octavius' own trembling ones. Octavius could hardly breathe as Jed's lips placed small kisses all over his neck. A small moan escaped him, and he could feel Jed's smile against his skin.

The cowboy brought a hand up to Octavius' chest armor, the glove making no sound as Jed trailed a finger down the shiny steel.

Jed's lips went to Octavius' ear, where the cowboy whispered something that would make Octavius aroused for many nights after as he thought of it.

"Let's get this armor off, amigo. I don't want anythin' in my way t'night." Jed whispered, nipping at Octavius' ear lobe.

It was the most seductive thing Octavius had ever heard Jedediah say, and he felt his knees buckle. Jed wrapped his arms around the centurion, holding him up. They gazed into each others eyes, sky blue lost in rich brown, and their breathing grew heavy. Jed's hands were a blur as he removed Octavius' armor and clothing, setting Octavius' belongings in a hasty pile.

Octavius felt the burning heat of of shyness and desire travel through his body, and yet he shivered as he stood there completely naked. Despite their bath together, Octavius felt much more exposed this time. His palms were sweating, and he rested them flat against the wall.

Jed took a step back and stood there, his eyes shamelessly roamed up and down Octavius' body. The Roman man watched as Jed smirked and bit his lip, nearly causing Octavius' heart to drop into his stomach.

The cowboy let out a low whistle. 

" Damn, Oct." Jed practically growled, his voice laden with arousal.

 Octavius felt himself move from the wall into Jed's arms. Their lips quickly met, and soon they were consumed in passionate kissing. They both moaned, trying to hold each other tighter. Their tongues met, massaging and tasting. Octavius never wanted to taste anything else for the rest of his life.

It felt too good. Octavius could feel his erection, hard and leaking, brush against Jedediah's jeans. The friction felt good and hurt at the same time. They parted to breathe, their lips red from their kissing. Jed's nose skimmed Octavius' neck, his lips brushing against his tingling skin before the cowboy brought his mouth down to softly bite and suck. Octavius moaned, his head resting on Jed's shoulders and he held onto the other man, his hands clinging to the blue shirt. Octavius panted, Jed's tongue flicked against the love mark the cowboy had made. Jed raised his head, smirking, to look into Octavius' eyes before kissing the Roman slowly.

 "Jedediah." Octavius murmured.

"Mm-hm?" 

"You're still clothed." Octavius pointed out.

"Uh-huh." 

"Well that's hardly fair..."

He gasped when he felt Jed grab his hip with one hand and the other hand,using two fingers, stroked slowly up his erect member. Octavius was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The two men looked into each others eyes, and without speaking a word they both knew that their relationship was about to be pushed into a new territory of trust and love. Octavius, even at this arousing moment, now thought of their life together. What would become of them? Would they always be together? Where was his bravery now, when he needed it most? He knew that there was no Roman Empire to protect, no real army to inspire to fight. He could never own anything other than what he wore. Jedediah was his only normalcy when he woke at night, he wanted no one else's company but the western man's. 

The centurion let these thoughts drift away as he kissed Jedediah passionately. He deserved to enjoy these intimate moments with the man he loved. Jed had backed Octavius up against the wall again. It was a few long moments before Jedediah broke the kiss, smiling at Octavius. The cowboy was suddenly tugging at his own  right hand, pulling off one of the leather gloves he wore, before removing the other as well. Jed tossed his gloves aside before reaching up and lifted his black hat from his head, placing near their feet. 

Octavius swallowed. Did Jed suddenly seem nervous? Jed's hands were slow and gentle, Octavius shivered when he felt the other man's fingertips, soft and somewhat calloused, brush against his abdomen.

"Jedediah..." Octavius murmured.

In a quick movement, Jed was on his knees in front of Octavius. Jed's hands stroked his abdomen, their eyes locked on one another. Jed's blue eyes held a question that Octavius knew the cowboy felt too shy too ask. Octavius licked his lips, his hands grasping wall behind him, before he dipped his head in a nod. He barely saw the flash of a mischievous smile before he closed his eyes. He felt Jed kissing slowly down his stomach, his light beard tickling... before...

" _Futuo_." Octavius gasped. 

He felt Jed's breath against his member, his heart felt like it would explode when he heard Jed's small intake of breath before he felt the cowboy's hot tongue against the tip. Octavius' legs trembled, and he gripped the wall behind him as Jed's slick tongue circled around the head before he felt Jed take him completely. 

It was hot. And wonderful. Oh Jupiter, he was surely in the heavens. 

Nothing in English or Latin could describe the immense pleasure that ran through Octavius' body. His cock twitched in Jed's mouth. The cowboy moved slowly, Octavius felt his tongue massage mercilessly at the sensitive head. Octavius felt his legs shaking, he didn't dare open his eyes for he was sure the sight would undoubtedly cause him to collapse.  He flinched when he felt Jed's hands come to hold his thighs steady, his fingers stroking comfortingly. Octavius' eyes opened slowly and he tilted his head down to look at Jedediah. 

Jedediah's eyes were half-lidded, falling shut whenever he took Octavius deeper inside his mouth. His cheeks were pink, and Octavius saw the shine of tears in the corners of Jed's eyes. The sight made his heart shudder and he moaned, biting his lip. His eyes flicked further down and he saw that Jedediah was aroused as well, his erection tight inside his jeans. 

He soon forgot his bashfulness, the fire in his body became solely pleasure. Jed's movements grew faster, slicker, tighter. Octavius brought a shaking hand away from the wall to reach and run through Jed's soft blond hair before it came to hold the side of Jed's face. Octavius willed himself to keep still, he didn't want to hurt Jedediah, despite his hips wanting to thrust into the amazing heat. He heard Jed moan softly, the other man moving his hands to hold Octavius' hips. 

Octavius knew he couldn't last much longer. The feeling was incredible, unreal. His mind filled with words of adoration and love for Jedediah, things he wanted to tell the other man at this very moment, but he seemed to not be able to speak. He was moaning, his bones felt like they were dissolving from the pleasure. He gazed down at Jedediah, who looked so lovely and alluring. The blue eyes met his, and he knew the edge was coming. 

 _"E-Ego venire..."_ Octavius moaned, hoping Jedediah understood. 

Jed's tongue did something incredible, and it was the last moment Octavius had before he came, moaning loudly. His cock twitched hard once, twice, again- as he spilled into Jed's mouth. He felt a rush of emotions, his knees weak, and in the haze of the marvelous pleasure he felt Jedediah's throat work to swallow his release. Jed's mouth came away, and to Octavius' embarrassment some of the last weak spurts hit Jedediah's exposed neck. 

Octavius felt himself sinking down to kneel by Jed, who was lightly coughing and breathing hard. He wasn't sure what to do or say, so he sat quietly and watched Jedediah rub his throat with his hand, the cowboy's face somewhat red. He saw Jed reach into a pocket of his jeans, pulling out a piece of tissue and cleaned his neck. He didn't look Octavius in the eye, but Octavius knew that Jed needed a moment after such an intimate act. He too, needed a moment to breathe properly. His body was hot and he was shaking, it had felt much too good. 

He reached a hand out to touch Jedediah's shoulder softly. Jed looked at Octavius and gave him a small smile. 

"Are you alright?" Octavius asked, his eyes filled with worry. 

Jedediah nodded, running a hand through his hair. Octavius noticed that the cowboy's cheeks were red. 

"Did...did you like that?" Jed asked nervously. Octavius noticed his voice was somewhat hoarse. 

"It was...it was... I love you." Octavius sighed, feeling himself blush. 

Jedediah laughed lightly, but then looked at Octavius. The cowboy's eyes traveled up and down the Roman's body, and Octavius remembered his was still naked.

"I didn't s'pect to... enjoy it so much m'self." Jed mumbled, scratching his chin in thought. 

Octavius moved closer to Jed, bringing his face close to the other man's. His arms wrapped around Jed's shoulders and he held him. Octavius knew that Jed was not used to his feelings and that he was probably feeling vulnerable. He was startled when he heard Jedediah groan, and went to let go of Jed when he felt the cowboy's lips against his own. Jed kissed him deeply, a hand came up to hold the back of Octavius' head and Octavius' mind went blank. 

His hands ran over Jed's chest, feeling the muscle under the blue shirt. His right hand traveled down slowly, before it fell on Jed's groin. 

He felt Jed's body stiffen, before the cowboy brought his lips away. He held Octavius' shoulders and shook his head, breathing hard. 

"Jed, I-I'm so sorry, I do apologize." Octavius stammered, before Jedediah grabbed his hand.

"It's alright... I... I think we've been gone long 'nough. Don't want Gigantor an every body lookin' for us, huh?" Jed mumbled, stroking Octavius' hand with his thumb.

"Jedediah, I do not wish to be a selfish lover..." Octavius tried to explain, before Jedediah kissed him softly, quieting him. 

"I know you ain't selfish, Octy. I want to feel good, but the nights almost over." Jed told him, smiling softly. 

 The cowboy stood up, pulling Octavius with him. They stared at one another before Jed bent over and picked up his hat and gloves. 

"C'mon Octy, better get yerself covered up. Unless ya wanna be frozen in the nude t'morrow!" Jed teased as he pulled on his gloves. 

Octavius let out a breath and started to chuckle as he dressed himself.

"I do believe Larry would not be too pleased with me if I chose to do so." He said, grinning at Jed. 

* * *

 Octavius had gotten dressed, and was finishing attaching his armor. He looked around before realizing that Jed was holding his helmet in his hands out to him. He took it with a thanks, placing it onto his head. He had enjoyed tonight immensely, but was wondering what Jedediah was feeling. He stared at the cowboy, who was inspecting his black hat.

"Jedediah?" 

"Yeah?" Jed said, placing his hat on his head.

"...I enjoyed tonight. And I hope that... I would like to continue our relationship and... share in pleasurable activities in the future." Octavius admitted as he fidgeted with his cape. When Jed said nothing he turned to leave their hiding spot, but he suddenly felt warm arms wrap around his body from behind.

"Don't worry. You an' I will do this and _more_ , 'gain real soon. Both of us will feel good." Jedediah whispered into his ear. 

Octavius felt his cheeks grow hot, but he smirked. Jedediah came around to stand beside him, taking the Roman's hand in his own.

"Ready?" The cowboy asked, grinning widely.

Octavius could only smile as they began walking, hands together, fingers entwined. 

"Hope nobody sees that mark I made on your neck."

"What?!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Futuo: fuck  
> Ego venire: I'm going to come


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs to listen while you read and CRY.  
> James Blunt- Same Mistake  
> The Eagles- I Can't Tell You Why  
> Des'ree- I'm Kissing You  
> The Killers - The Way It Was

Months had passed. Winter had once again come to New York City. People hurried along the busy streets to all of their various destinations, bundled up against the cold wind and snow. It was a few weeks before Christmas, as anyone could tell by the cheery decorations everywhere.

Inside the Museum, peering out the window was Jedediah, deep in thought. Octavius had chosen to help Larry and the rest of their friends decorate the large Christmas tree that had been put up in the front lobby. Jedediah had declined the invitation, despite the sad look from Octavius. He just wasn't in the mood.

He had not been himself for a while now. 

Jedediah had overheard Larry and Teddy speaking one night about what happened with Kahmunrah. He hadn't realized it till now, but now he knew that he and Octavius would have been shipped to the Smithsonian, without Ahkmenrah's tablet. 

They would have never come back alive. He would have never been with Octavius. 

Jed  pressed his forehead against the window, shivering from the cold glass. 

Jed loved Octavius. He loved him more than anything else in the world. 

The cowboy looked down into the street. It was the middle of the night, and snow had been falling heavily. Inside of the museum, it was beautiful to look at. 

But Jed remembered that it had almost taken Octavius from him. Jed had not realized how deeply he cared for Octavius back then, but now his heart belonged to the Roman. He didn't want to think about the night Octy had been lost in the snow. He didn't want to think about how they had almost been shipped away without the tablet. And now, he didn't want to imagine what life what be like without Octavius. 

But he did. 

Jed's hand came to his chest, grasping at his blue shirt as if he could hold his own heart. 

Octavius was his whole life. Jedediah thought of how far they had come. They had been enemies, fighting one another each night. Then they became friends, best friends. And then their friendship had turned into love. 

They had become quite intimate. They had not made love yet, but had come closer and closer to doing so. Jedediah took a deep breath, remembering a few nights ago. They had made each other feel good, _really_ good inside of the RC. When they were both shaking and spent, breathing hard and holding each other, Jed had felt tears in his eyes. He had hid his face against Octavius' neck, distracting the Roman with soft kisses as he tried to calm himself. Jedediah felt like he was lost in this love. 

He was unable to enjoy it. His love came with fear, Jedediah feared the unknown.

How long would it be before something happened to him or to Octavius. 

Oh, Octavius.

The Roman still had nightmares. Jed made it his job to wake the Roman every night. He knew that Octavius dreamed of bad things happening, of Jedediah hurt or dead. He would wake the Roman, calling to him gently, holding onto him as Octavius shook. Jed hated that Octavius had these dreams. How did Octy go about each day like they did not bother him? 

He had wanted to talk to Octavius about these things, but he was too cowardly. The moments where he had tried to use his voice to tell Octavius he was afraid, he would give up and shake his head. He would wrap his arms around Octavius, kissing the other man deeply, burying his thoughts deep down into his heart. Jed now realized that this had only made the pain worse. 

He wanted to be with Octavius.

But did they have forever?

* * *

 

Octavius had always loved the month of December. It was the perfect month. The days were short, so night would come sooner, allowing him to be with Jedediah more. He loved the decorations that they helped Larry put up, and the movies they would watch, and the loveliest part of winter- hot chocolate. 

But Octavius found himself not enjoying these things. 

Jedediah was worrying him. Octavius had noticed that the cowboy had become quiet, uninterested in what was going on around the museum. He had wondered if it was something he had done at first, and tried to give Jedediah space. The cowboy had taken many trips in the RC by himself, avoiding their friends. Near the end of each night, Jedediah would find Octavius and they would sit somewhere quietly together, holding each other in their arms. They were still intimate, but Octavius had noticed a difference in Jed. The cowboy looked at him like he was afraid to hurt Octavius. His touches were too gentle, like Octavius was as delicate as glass. Jedediah's kisses, however, felt desperate as if each one would be their last. The cowboy would kiss him roughly and for so long his lips felt bruised. 

 Tonight had been odd. Jedediah had not wanted to decorate the Christmas tree with him. It was something that they loved to do each year, so when Jed had declined, Octavius had felt a little sad, but did not say anything. He let Jedediah go, and watched as the cowboy made his way over to the window. Everything was far away for a miniature like Octavius, but he had never felt distance like this before. 

After he had helped his friends, Octavius heard the familiar sound of the RC, and looked down to see Jedediah on the floor, waiting for him. He climbed down and got into the car, giving Jedediah a soft kiss on the cheek. But Jedediah only gave him a small smile, before he began driving.

They didn't go anywhere specific, but that didn't matter to Octavius. Jedediah was quiet, and as he tried to speak to the cowboy, Octavius felt the tension grow thicker and thicker until he stopped speaking.

At the end of the evening, Jedediah parked the car near Octavius' diorama. Octavius had felt this night was not going well, but did not know what was wrong. 

They sat there awkwardly in the car. Octavius didn't know what to say, or if he should touch Jed. He seemed lost in thought. Octavius plucked up the courage to ask what was wrong.

"Jed... you seem distracted by something. What is it?" Octavius asked.

Jed sighed, reaching up he ran a hand through his blond hair, a pained expression on his face. 

"Dang it Octy... do ya ever wonder why we're t'gether?" Jed asked, his voice sounding strained. 

"I... We're together because we love each other... Don't we?" Octavius asked nervously. 

There was a pause. Octavius felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"Do you still have love for me, Jedediah?" Octavius asked, hating the way his voice sounded.

Jedediah didn't look at Octavius. 

 "I don't know anymore." 

 All that could be heard was their breathing. Octavius imagined his heart at this moment, splintering like cracked glass. 

"What?" He whispered.

Jed closed his eyes, his hand curling into a fist.

"I don't know if we should be t'gether like this Octy. I mean... what's the point?" Jed said.

"What's... the point?" Octavius repeated, the words sour in his mouth.

Jed looked at Octavius, his blue eyes full of sadness and he shook his head.

"I-I still want you to be my partner. Maybe we can still have fun-"Jed stammered.

Octavius brought a hand up to stop Jedediah from speaking. His entire body was shaking. He did not want to hear these words. He was confused and angry.  He bit his lip, hard, tasting blood but he didn't feel the pain. 

 "If you can't love me while love is all I will _ever_ have for you, then... I do not want to be your friend, Jedediah!"

"Octy, please! Please don't be like that. I-I want to love you. I just..."

Jed looked away from Octavius.

"It's too much." Jedediah whispered.

Octavius' heart was breaking. He wanted to yell and scream. He wanted to shake Jedediah. After everything they had been through, after everything they had been, why was he ending their relationship?

"If I can't love you then the only other option is to hate you. You are not my friend." Octavius whispered.

"Octy." Jedediah pleaded.

"NO!" Octavius boomed.

They were both silent, their eyes wide.

Octavius pushed the door open and got out of the car, slamming the door. He forced himself to not look back as he marched to the rope ladder of his diorama. 

He would not let Jedediah see his tears.

Octavius barely heard the sound of the tires as he climbed up, his body trembling. He didn't hear the voices of his men calling to him cheerfully. He kept walking, each step feeling heavier than the last.

It was only when Octavius was alone, hidden behind a large stone column, that he removed his helmet tossing it aside and the Roman's back slid slowly down until he was sitting on the ground. 

Octavius wrapped his arms around his knees, as if to shield his aching heart, and wept. 

* * *

 Larry, Ahkmenrah, Sacagawea, and Teddy sat together in the front lobby. 

They were quiet. Wea was reading, Teddy was stroking his mustache in thought, Larry (with his arm around Ahkmenrah) was scrolling absentmindedly through his phone, and Ahkmenrah held a cup of tea to warm his hands. 

 Larry let his phone fall in his lap with a sigh. So much for a jolly holiday. 

It had been 5 days since Larry had noticed the rift between Octavius and Jedediah. Both diorama's had been unusually quiet, their leaders had not given them anything to do so the miniatures lolled about without direction. 

Larry had invited Octavius to help decorate different parts of the museum, but when he would call to him, the Roman would either not respond or appear. Sometimes when he did see Octavius and ask, the centurion would look up at him with dark circles under his eyes and decline curtly. 

He had tried to speak to Jedediah, but the cowboy would get down from his diorama when the night began and drive away in the RC. Larry took it as an obvious sign that Jed wanted to be left alone. 

Larry had no idea what had happened or what was going on now. He figured that they must have had a fight, but this was strange. Octavius and Jed were avoiding each other.

He turned his head to look at Ahk. The Pharaoh gave him a knowing look. 

"We need to talk to Octavius and Jed." Larry announced.

Wea's book snapped shut and she stood gracefully.

"I will speak to Octavius." she told them. Teddy took her hand and pressed a kiss to it before she walked away.

It was a moment before Larry realized Teddy and Ahk were staring at him.

"Oh, I don't-" he started, but Ahk held up a hand.

"Jedediah will talk to you Larry." He said, giving Larry a kiss on the cheek before he stood with his tea cup in his hands and slipped away.

Larry sat there, his hand holding his cheek where Ahk had kissed him. He blushed when he remembered Teddy was still there, the President smiling at him with a twinkle in his eye.

"I have complete faith in you, Lawrence. Help our friends. After all, what is a life without love, my boy?"

* * *

 Octavius sat on the window sill, his head in his hands. Sacagawea sat in a chair close to him, she had come to comfort her friend.

They were quiet.

Octavius let the tears fall from his eyes, hoping they would end, but more seemed to come.

Wea stroked his back gently with her little finger. She could feel the little Roman man shaking. 

It was hard to be small in such a vast world. Wea knew this heartache, and wanted to help Octavius understand. 

"Gentle Octavius... I know that this is a difficult time for you. I know it is for Jedediah too." She told him softly.

Octavius lifted his head up, clasping his hands together.

Outside of the window snow fell upon the city. Octavius remembered how it had felt, to be so cold and alone. 

 "He's just... he's being an idiot." Octavius muttered, wiping his eyes.

"He's scared." Wea said.

"Of, of what?" Octavius asked, exasperated. 

He stood up and walked closer to the window. He pressed his hands and forehead against the glass, feeling how cold it was.

"Octavius, please listen. When... when were going to be shipped away, Teddy thought I didn't know he wasn't coming. He didn't tell me the night before. At first I felt hurt, wondering why he wouldn't say anything. But I thought about it, and I tried to understand even though it hurt me. Teddy was scared to lose me. He didn't want our last night together to be filled with sadness." Wea told him, her voice soft. 

"Teddy wanted to be with you. Jedediah doesn't want to be together, h-he doesn't want to love me anymore!" Octavius snapped, turning to look at the Shoshone woman. 

"But he wants to be your best friend still." Wea pointed out.

"That is not enough! After all this time, how can we go back to that?! If we go back to being just friends, the path will surely reverse to us becoming enemies once more!" Octavius snapped, hitting his fist against the window. 

 "Jedediah does not want to hurt you... I think he cares about you so much that it hurts to imagine not being together. He just obviously doesn't know how to tell you his fears." Wea said. She realized that this made sense. 

"But I have done everything I can think of to show my love." Octavius sighed.

"I don't doubt it. But I know that you can love him another way. If Jedediah wishes to not be together romantically, you must show him you love him with understanding. Did you love him when you were just friends?" She asked him.

"Yes." Octavius admitted. 

"Did you care about him?" 

"Yes."

"I know you can do that again. I know it hurts Octavius, but you can both heal together. Perhaps not being together romantically now could help you both. You can show Jedediah that you are there for him, that you care and will listen to his fears. And then, maybe, you could become a couple once more." Wea told him, hoping that Octavius would understand.

Octavius didn't speak. The past week had been the worst of his life. At first, he had missed the physical intimacy, he missed the cowboy's arms wrapped around him. He missed Jed's lips against his. Now, he just wished to see Jedediah. He missed seeing the black hat and the kind face underneath it. He remembered Jedediah's face, the large smile, the blue eyes filled with laughter. 

Could he do it? Could he spend time with Jedediah without his heart aching? Could he be friends with the cowboy when he would always want more? Octavius felt shame. Was he not there enough for Jedediah? He should have been more persistent with asking what the cowboy was feeling. He should have controlled himself more, controlled his body and instead he should have asked what scared Jedediah. Was Jedediah hoping for more, like he was? Did he feel hopeless, like Octavius did sometimes, when he thought about their lives as miniatures. Their lives were not permanent. Their very existence was the result of a magical Egyptian tablet bringing them to life each night. Octavius had come to terms with it, he even tried to imagine that there would be something greater after this life.

He would be Jedediah's friend. 

He would help Jedediah find peace.

* * *

Larry was frustrated. He felt like he had been chasing Jedediah all night, he couldn't find the cowboy anywhere. Finally, when he was about to give up, he saw the RC parked right in front of the Western diorama.

Larry let out an annoyed huff, but tried to be patient. He had a mission. 

The museum was such a bummer this week. He knew that he and Jed hadn't always been the best of friends, but he needed one.

He walked up to the Old West diorama, watching as the little people went about their business as usual. His eyes scanned the diorama, searching for the familiar cowboy. Larry finally spotted him. Jed was sitting down, his back against a tree. The cowboy looked quite sad, he stared out into space without blinking. His eyes had dark circles under them, like he hadn't slept. Larry imagined that if there were any alcohol in the diorama, Jed would be _really_ drunk. 

"Jed?" Larry called.

Jed blinked, turning his head to look at Larry. 

"What is it Gigantor?" Jed asked, his voice somewhat rough. 

"Um. Do you... how about we take a walk?" Larry suggested.

Jed looked down and didn't say anything. After a moment, Larry heard Jed sigh and nod his head. Larry laid his hand out for Jed to walk onto, and soon they were walking. Larry just wanted a quiet and private place. He found a bench in one of the galleries and sat down. He set Jed down next to him, and the cowboy sat on the edge of the bench, his legs dangling. 

They were quiet for a few minutes. Larry couldn't remember a time that the cowboy was this quiet, but he knew that Jed was hurting. 

"What's up Jed?" Larry asked gently. 

"Nothin'." Jed muttered, crossing his arms.

"Uh, really? 'Cause this museum feels really depressing lately. Did you and Octavius have a fight?" Larry asked.

Jedediah stared at the wall with a look of discomfort on his face.

"Did you break up?" Larry asked sadly.

"I... I told him... I think he and I shouldn't love one 'nother anymore."

"What? Why?" Larry asked, feeling confused. 

Jed was quiet and he had a pained look on his face.

"You don't love him anymore?" Larry asked.

Jedediah gritted his teeth and turned away from Larry, standing up he began to pace back and forth on the bench. 

"Answer me Jed." Larry demanded. 

Jedediah let out a groan, stamping his boot angrily on the bench. 

"I LOVE HIM. Okay, Gigantor?! I. Love. Octy. I love him so much... I'm just yellow-bellied. I can't stop thinkin' 'bout how we almost got sent 'way without that tablet. Octy and me, we wouldn't have been able to come alive, would we? No! I don't want to think 'bout it, but I can't stop!" Jed exclaimed, his hands on his head.

Jed stopped pacing and let his arms fall to his sides, fists clenched. 

"I don't know if I can love Octy so much if we won't always be t'gether anyways." Jed whispered. 

 Larry stared at Jed, his heart hurting. His brain was working hard, trying to form the words to say to Jed. 

"Jed... I know that it's a lot to love someone so much. You don't get to do it often, but when you love someone so deeply, you sometimes get hung up on the "what ifs". What if Octavius gets lost again. What if the tablet is stolen. What if we never wake up."

Jed clapped his hands over his ears, shaking his head. He didn't want to think of it. 

"Jedediah, listen to me! You're not so different from anybody else. Never mind being small, your love for each other is big. It's some of the strongest love I've ever seen, man. But you know, big people who are able to walk around all day and night... They sometimes feel just like you. They love someone so much and when that person gets hurt... or worse, the mind tells the heart... "Why bother? Why did I have to love them so much if they'll leave me one day."

"But you, Jed you can't think like that. You shouldn't be alone when you know that isn't what you want. It won't keep you or Octavius safe. You shouldn't _not_ be with Octavius because you love him. That's silly." Larry said.

Jedediah had stopped pacing. The cowboy had his arms wrapped around himself and even though he was small, Larry could see that Jed was shaking. 

 "I know." Jed told him.

"How has this week been, Jedediah?" Larry asked.

"The most miserable one of my life." Jed admitted. 

"So don't distance yourself from Octavius if you know it doesn't make you feel better. You guys are so lucky to have one another. You can spend all night together, watching cat videos, or playing pranks, or, um, other things." Larry said, blushing.

"Hmph." Jed grunted, but Larry saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

"I can't promise you that nothing will happen to you, I can't promise that to anyone. But I will promise you, Jedediah, I will do all I can to keep the tablet safe and to keep you and Octavius together. But I need you to be happy and love Octavius, otherwise, what is the point of coming alive at all? Whenever the end comes, you'll only regret the time you didn't spend with Octavius." Larry said, smiling sadly down at the cowboy.

 Jed walked up to Larry, stopping close to the side of Larry's leg. The cowboy sniffed, wiping his eyes, before he opened his arms up.

"Um." Larry mumbled, before realizing Jed wanted a "hug".

Larry brought two fingers down to Jed's level, and Larry's heart warmed when the cowboy wrapped his arms around them, squeezing tightly. 

 "Hey... It's okay." Larry murmured.

"Thanks Larry." Jed said softly, letting go of Larry's fingers.

Jed sat down again. He knew he had to fix things. He knew that he had hurt Octy.

But he felt better than he had in a while. Hope had entered his heart, to go along with his strong love for Octavius.

 "So... what now?" Larry asked.

Jed looked up at Larry, and a large smiled spread across his face.

"Can ya take me t'see the Pharaoh?"

* * *

 Two days after he had spoken with Sacagawea, Octavius had still not approached Jedediah. He had tried, several times, to begin walking in the direction of Jed's diorama, but each time he got close to the edge of his own he stopped. He felt like a coward. 

He did not change his mind. He would be Jed's friend. He would not be selfish, he would be there for Jed. 

Oh, but Jupiter, how he still loved Jedediah. 

He knew he could not stop loving Jedediah romantically. It would be like not breathing.

Octavius was once more in his spot of contemplation, the windowsill. He watched people go on their way, looking happy despite the cold weather. He saw two gentleman walking by, holding hands. One of the men was a brunette with short hair, and a serious expression. The other was a blond man with a mischievous smile. But when they looked at one another, Octavius knew that they were in love. He felt the warmth of their love reach him.

Looking away, Octavius touched his hand to his heart. Underneath the cold steel of his armor, he knew it was still there.

He would be strong. He would go now to Jedediah, and offer his friendship, if the cowboy would take it.

Octavius jumped when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him.

He turned, and he froze.

It was Jedediah, standing there a few feet away from him. Out of the corner of his eye, Octavius saw Larry's familiar form walking away quickly.

Jedediah stood there, looking quite bashful. The cowboy rubbed his neck with a gloved hand, his eyes flicking from the windowsill to Octavius' face repeatedly.

 Finally-

"Hey, partner." Jed said.

Octavius blinked. 

"Hello Jedediah." Octavius greeted, fidgeting with his cape.

They were silent. Octavius stared at Jed, feeling himself blush. He had missed Jed. He missed the blue summer sky that was Jedediah's eyes. He missed his handsome face, with his slightly crooked nose and strong chin. 

Octavius swallowed, feeling silly for being so lovesick, and took careful steps closer to the cowboy. 

After a few moments, Octavius opened his mouth to speak.

"I apologize for acting the way I did. I was hurt, but I know now that I hurt you as well. I-I didn't mean it, Jed. I will always be your friend. I will always be there for you. You don't have to love me. Please just understand that I will always love you, but I'll try not to let it ruin our friendship... Jedediah... I want you to know that the thought of us being apart hurts deeply. But I would rather our romantic relationship end than lose you as a friend. I will be your friend Jedediah, if you would still have me." Octavius told him, his voice cracking towards the end. 

It was true. It would always be true.

 Octavius waited. He did not look at Jedediah. 

After a minute of no response from the cowboy, Octavius nodded his head, turning away.

"Octy! W-wait!" 

 Octavius turned around slowly, feeling his heart stop.

Jedediah was on his knees, his blue eyes gazing up at Octavius. 

"Jedediah?" Octavius whispered. 

Jedediah looked extremely nervous. The cowboy tried to say something, opening his mouth, but he quickly shut it again. Instead, the cowboy lifted a shaking hand to his chest, fumbling around in his shirt pocket. Then he held his hand out, palm up.

It was a gold ring.

Octavius had stopped breathing. His eyes flicked quickly from Jedediah's face to the gold ring, back and forth. 

 "J-Jed?" Octavius stammered.

Jedediah, who was still kneeling, took a breath and smiled at Octavius, his eyes bright. 

"Come here, please, Octy." Jed said softly. 

Octavius took the few steps there was to reach Jedediah, his legs trembling, his mind reeling. He stood there, looking down at the cowboy. Jedediah looked up at him, his smile wide and his eyes full of life once more. 

Octavius' hand reached to touch the side of Jed's face. Jed's hand came up to hold Octavius' own, and he brought it to his lips to kiss sweetly. 

 "You don't need to 'pologize to Ol Jedediah. I'm sorry I hurt you. I need to tell ya the truth... I said all that stuff, 'cause I've been scared... I worry 'bout us every day. Will I get to wake up and see ya? How long do you an' I have t'gether. But I understand now, Octy.  I've been real dumb, by not being with ya when that's all I want. I want to be with ya, Octy. I love you with all my heart. I've been thinkin'... and I want to spend our lives t'gether like we got forever."

"Octavius... will you marry me?"

 Octavius sunk to his knees to kneel in front of Jedediah. He had lost the ability to speak. He stared at the ring, and then he stared at Jedediah.

Jedediah was so nervous he was shaking. 

"I-I went to Ahkmenrah and asked for some gold, an' then I had some of my men make ya the ring. And, and, look! I had it engraved for ya..."

Octavius, with his heart pounding in his chest, looked closely at the ring.

_nunc scio quid sit amor_

_"_ Now I know what love is." Octavius whispered. 

He looked into Jedediah's eyes, feeling his own fill with warm tears.

"I sure do." promised Jedediah.

 Octavius thought his heart would burst with happiness. He would remember this moment, always.

" _Sic ego volunt_." Octavius said.

Jedediah blinked.

"Yes I will marry you, Jedediah!" Octavius exclaimed, his heart soaring. 

Jed's eyes lit up, a huge smile came to his face. 

Before he knew it, Jed had swept him into a tight embrace. He held Jedediah, feeling euphoric. Laughter bubbled up inside him and he was laughing and crying while holding onto Jed. After a moment, Jed pulled away. The cowboy took the ring he had been holding and with gentle hands he held Octavius' left, and slipped on the ring. They both stared down at it, smiling.

Jed looked into Octavius' eyes.

" _Te amo_." He said. 

"I love you too." Octavius told him, wrapping his arms around Jed's shoulders. 

Jed stood, lifting Octavius with him with ease. The cowboy's hands held Octavius' waist.

The centurion and the cowboy did not hear the loud foot steps of their friends as they came, running up, to cheer and congratulate them. They didn't hear the music that began to play in celebration.

They were kissing, remembering how their love made life so wonderful.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Kisumicupid who graciously donated to CuriousDinosaur Fanfiction. 
> 
> Thank you!

Octavius sighed happily, sinking deeper within the water he was relaxing in. He had one of the baths from his diorama all to himself. He leaned his head back against the towel he had rolled up and closed his eyes. 

It had been two weeks since Jedediah had proposed to him. Octavius was positively giddy, for the wedding was tomorrow night. They had chosen Christmas Eve as the wedding day, because the museum would be closed for two days and nights. Larry and Ahkmenrah had insisted with helping him and Jedediah plan the event. 

Octavius smiled to himself. Jedediah had bounced back to his enthusiastic self and was excited for the wedding. Octavius couldn't believe this was happening, but as he imagined seeing Jedediah tomorrow evening, imagined sharing their lives together... he let himself believe. He wanted to be with Jedediah.

In his mind, Octavius went down the list of things he had done or needed to do for the celebration tomorrow. He had given his food and drink requests to Larry, he had asked the Pharaoh and Nick to be their DJ's, and he had his outfit. There was one last thing that he needed to have for tomorrow.

Octavius opened his eyes and stretched. He got out of his bath, water dripping down his body as he grabbed a white towel from a small table. In his room he dried off quickly before putting his under garments on. He called to one of his guards who came in quickly. Octavius, with the help of his guard, dressed himself carefully in his wedding outfit, admiring the fine detail that had been put into it. His mind wandered as his guard began attaching his armor. Would Jedediah like him like this? 

"General Octavius?"

Octavius looked to see another guard standing in the doorway. 

"Yes?" He answered politely.

"We have completed it sir." The guard said to Octavius, holding out a small and beautifully carved box to him.

Octavius' eyes lit up and he held his hand out, for he was still being dressed. The guard walked over to him quickly and placed the box in Octavius' hand. Octavius ran a finger over the delicate carvings on the box before lifting the lid carefully. Octavius let out a breath he had been holding, a smile coming to his face. Inside the box was a silver ring.  Octavius picked the ring up carefully, feeling the cold metal against his fingertips. He turned it over in his hand, inspecting it.  It was a handsome ring, smooth and polished.

"It is exquisite." Octavius murmured, his eyes still upon the ring. 

It was absolutely perfect for Jedediah. He thanked his guards for their assistance and they left him alone in the room. Octavius sat down on a chair, admiring the silver ring. Now that everything was done, he wished that tomorrow night would come sooner. 

He wondered what Jedediah was doing at this very moment. 

* * *

 Jedediah took a deep breath as he looked at himself in the mirror Larry had let him borrow. 

He was dressing himself tonight to be ready for the wedding tomorrow. Jed had never paid much attention to his appearance but at this moment he wanted to look good. He had asked Gigantor, (who had been hovering around him all evening), for a mug of water to bathe in. He really just wanted to have a moment alone, but a bath was needed anyway. He had washed his body and hair, enjoying the warm water immensly as he did so. He tried to relax, but his thoughts kept drifting to Octavius. Tomorrow they would be married! Jed had grinned to himself and leaned his head back against the mug. 

Now as he stood in front of the mirror, running his fingers through his hair, he had to admit he looked, well, _handsome_. Larry by some means had acquired new clothes for Jed from a hobby shop that sold miniature things. Larry had gotten him a black shirt, much like his blue one, but there were embroidered red roses near the shoulders of it. He had traded his lighter jeans and chaps for a darker pair of jeans to wear, and Larry had found him a rather nice black belt with a silver buckle. He already had a pair of black boots which he never wore because he preferred his brown pair, but he felt they matched his outfit more. 

He turned left and right, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt nervously. He still felt naked for some reason, and he stared at the mirror trying to figure out what was missing before he realized he had forgotten his hat. He picked it up and dusted it off gently before placing it upon his head. 

"There! Well don't you clean up good, Jedediah!" He told himself proudly. 

In the reflection of the mirror he saw Larry walking towards his diorama. He turned to see the night guard holding a pad of paper and a pen. Larry had been ticking things off of a list the past week for the wedding. Jed didn't understand all of the fuss, but he let Larry take care of things. Jed and Octavius hadn't asked for much, but Larry, Ahkmenrah, and some of the others had taken the wedding planning in stride. 

"Hey Jed, sorry to bother you but-" Larry started, but he stopped speaking at stared down at Jedediah.

"But what, partner?" Jed asked, flicking his hat up from his eyes. 

"Jed, wow, you look really good." Larry said, grinning at the cowboy.

Jed shrugged his shoulders, already mad that he could feel a blush come to his face. 

"No, you really do man." Larry assured.

"Thanks, Larry." Jed said gruffly, kicking the dirt with his boot. 

"Anyway, I just wanted to know if there's any other food that you wanted for tomorrow. I want you guys to have what you really want."

Jed's ears perked up at the mention of food. Soon he and Larry were looking at the list and discussing food and drinks. Jedediah was surprised with himself. He would have never thought he'd be getting married, and now he was planning his. 

After they had finished talking, Larry looked at his watch. 

"It's almost morning Jed. If there's anything else you need, let me know now." Larry told the cowboy. 

Jed rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. 

"Can ya do me one more favor, kemosabe?" Jed asked Larry.

"Sure, what is it?"  

"Can ya make sure Octavius is... can ya jus' make sure he wakes up okay t'morrow. Please?" Jed asked Larry softly.

Larry blinked down at Jedediah before giving the cowboy a gentle smile. 

"Of course Jed." The night guard assure him.

Jed grinned and saluted to Larry.  Larry smiled and tucked his notepad under his arm, saluting back to Jedediah. They said their goodbyes and Jed went to stand in his usual spot in the diorama. Some of his men whistled at him in friendly jest, but Jed only grinned as he took his place. 

Tomorrow night could not come soon enough. 

* * *

Larry couldn't remember being this excited for his own wedding. He couldn't stop smiling as he unlocked the back door and went into the museum. Tonight, Jed and Octavius were getting married!

Larry headed towards Ahk's temple with quick steps. Ahkmenrah wanted to get the dj station set up with Nick before the wedding started. He heard the museum exhibits show signs of life and he walked past the Anubis statues quickly. With a quick push, the stone case around Ahk's sarcophagus was opened and Larry lifted the lid of the coffin. Ahkmenrah was already alive, and grinning happily at Larry.

Larry held his hand out to the Pharaoh, who climbed out quickly. They shared a quick kiss before they made their way to the front lobby. Larry was glad to see that Nick had arrived, setting up a table for Ahk. The Pharaoh hurried over to help while Larry began to set up the other tables and chairs. 

Soon others began to appear in the lobby to help. Teddy and Sacagawea began to cover the tables with cloths, plates, glasses, silverware, and silver and gold candles. The room was already quite festive because of all of the Christmas decorations, but now it had been transformed into a beautiful wedding for Jedediah and Octavius. 

After they had finished setting up, everyone took a break to catch their breath. Larry looked around the room, proud and impressed with its transformation. He glanced at his watch before looking up and flashing everyone a bright smile.

"Let's go get our grooms."

* * *

Octavius blinked slowly as the museum came into focus. After a few moments he stretched and looked around. And then, all at once, the realization of what today was hit him. 

Octavius felt a rush of excitement travel through his body. His heart was beating fast, and he knew it would stay that way the entire evening.

Tonight he would marry Jedediah.

Octavius was suddenly surrounded by some of his men, who were smiling at him and talking excitedly. Octavius nodded and smiled in thanks, but could not quite focus on what they were saying. Just as he wondered when someone would come by his diorama, Sacagawea appeared before Rome, smiling down at the centurion.

His men moved out of his way as he walked towards the edge of the diorama. Octavius suddenly felt extremely nervous and shy, his palms were sweating and his legs shook slightly with each step.

He looked up at Wea's beautiful face and she smiled at him encouragingly. Carefully she brought her hand down, letting it rest close to where Octavius was standing. He took a deep breath to calm himself and gently climbed onto her hand, holding onto her thumb for support. 

"Are you ready?" She asked him as they walked towards the front lobby.

Octavius nodded, tightening his hold on Wea's thumb.

"Absolutely." 

* * *

Octavius and Wea reached the front lobby in a few minutes. Wea stopped walking and Octavius, who had his eyes closed and had been taking calming breaths, opened his eyes, the sight of the lobby making him gasp softly.

"Great Jupiter!" Octavius exclaimed.

It was positively beautful. A table had been set up for he and Jedediah to stand on during the ceremony, decorated with a lovely silver vase of white and red roses. Silver and gold candles also adorned the table, their light a romantic glow in the dimmed lobby. Behind it stood the large and festive Christmas tree with it's gold lights and shiny baubles. Rows of chairs had been set up for guests to sit at, as well as a small table for the miniatures who wished to be at the wedding. A large dining table with a crisp white table cloth and dinnerware had been laid out for dinner afterwards. Octavius heard music, soft and romantic, but it filled the whole room.

Octavius wiped at the corners of his eyes, feeling the tears there. 

"Do you like it?" Sacagawea asked him gently.

Octavius was astounded. He hadn't asked for this, he would have been happy to marry Jedediah anywhere, but he saw that Larry and the others had done all of this. They had given this gift to him and Jedediah. 

"It is... so wonderful. I don't know how to begin to thank you." Octavius stammered.

Wea smiled but said nothing. Instead, she walked to the table with the vase of roses and placed her hand down. Octavius, with shaking legs, walked onto the table and looked up at Wea. He wasn't sure what to say to the Shoshone woman, but as he opened his mouth to speak, she turned and walked away. Octavius was now alone on the table.

Museum exhibits began to take their seats in the many different chairs, whispering quietly to each other, but Octavius didn't notice them. He fidgeted with his cape nervously. So many emotions were running through him at this moment. He wished that Jedediah was with him.

And as if the gods had heard his thoughts, Octavius' ears picked up the familiar sound of Jedediah's voice. He looked up to see Larry, who was dressed nicely, carrying what could only be Octavius' soon to be husband. His heart was beating wildly in his chest when he heard Jed's excited voice and laughter as he spoke to Larry.

Octavius stood frozen as Larry approached the table, his eyes finding Octavius and the night guard smiled at him. Larry lowered his hand and there, dressed very nicely and looking _very_ handsome, was Jedediah. 

* * *

 Jedediah was beyond excited for this night. He was getting married to Octavius!

He had woken in his diorama, and had waited impatiently for someone to come fetch him. Heck, if Larry hadn't come in the next minute, Jed would have risked wrinkling his clothes to climb down and find Octavius.

But Larry had come, walking quickly with a big smile on his face he had reached Jed's diorama. Without a word, Jed hopped onto Larry's hand and they were on their way. Jed wondered if Octavius was still in his diorama.

He talked excitedly to Larry, something he did when he was anxious, and Larry was cracking jokes to make him laugh. Soon they were in the museum lobby, and out of the corner of his eye, Jedediah saw that it had been decorated wonderfully. Just as he wondered what Larry was going to do with him, the night guard suddenly stopped and lowered his hand down for Jedediah to walk onto a nicely decorated table. 

Jedediah turned to ask Larry a question, but the man had walked away quickly. Jed stood there, his heart racing. Was Larry going to get Octavius? 

"Jedediah?" 

Jed spun around quickly, and felt a loss of breath. Octavius was here.

It was their wedding day.

His heart was beating fast, and his eyes swept over the man he loved. 

Octavius looked dashing and noble in his wedding attire. The Roman wore a brilliant white leather tunic embroidered in gold, with a new cape that was a brighter red than his regular one. His arm and leg armor were present, polished perfectly. Octavius gave Jedediah a shy smile. 

"Jedediah you are very handsome." Octavius told him sweetly, reaching a hand out to touch one of the embroidered roses on Jed's shirt. 

Jedediah couldn't stop staring, and he couldn't speak or move. After a moment, Octavius took a step back and looked down at himself.

"Do... Do you think I look alright?" Octavius asked Jedediah softly, looking down at himself.  

"Do me." Jed muttered, before covering his mouth with his hand and coughing, his cheeks burning. Octavius looked at Jed with wide eyes, confused.

"I-I mean... you do. Octavius, you look amazin'." Jed told the centurion truthfully, taking Octavius' hand in his. 

Octavius smiled brightly at Jedediah, squeezing Jed's hand. Jedediah smiled back, his heart filled with happiness. They stood there silently, gazing into each others eyes until Larry announced that the wedding was about to begin.

* * *

 Larry stood with Ahkmenrah beside him behind the table that Octavius and Jedediah were on. All the guests that wished to be at the wedding were present, and they sat quietly as Larry and Ahkmenrah whispered to each other quickly. Larry looked down at Jed and Octavius and smiled, before looking out at the guests. Octavius glanced in their direction and saw his friends sitting at the very front, happy smiles on their faces. Octavius saw Nick adjusting a camera, much to his surprise. He didn't know there would be pictures, but this new knowledge only made him happier. Of course he wanted to remember this day.

He looked back at Jedediah, who was still looking at Octavius with eyes filled with love. He heard Larry clear his throat and knew that they were about to begin.

"Hello everyone! Tonight we are here to celebrate the marriage of our friends, Octavius and Jedediah, as a family." Larry began, looking out into the crowd.

"I don't think I have to convince anyone here that they are perfect for each other, with all the time they spend together watching cat videos and playing pranks, it's hard to believe I had force them to get along only a couple of years ago." Larry said, smiling down at the two miniatures.

Octavius and Jedediah chuckled, as did their guests. 

"But I think they are perfect together.  They are loyal and caring to each other. They work together to create unity and peace between their dioramas. On more than one occasion, they would die to save the other. I don't know a greater love than that."

Octavius and Jedediah smiled at each other and at Larry. 

"Now I would like the grooms to share their vows that they have written for each other... Octavius, would you give your vows to Jedediah?"

"I will." Octavius nodded.

The Roman stood proudly before Jedediah, flashing the cowboy a smile before speaking loudly and clearly his vows to Jed. 

"Jedediah... how do I even begin to express my love for you? We are an unlikely pair indeed, and yet our relationship is one of the most beautiful stories I shall ever know. I know that you wished to tell me of it when you were trapped in the hour glass, but I did not want to hear of it then. The sands of time were literally against us, and I knew that I could not live if you did not. My love, I shall always fight for you so that our story may continue until the end of time, until the gods must acknowledge us no matter how small we may be, and they shall write the story of our love with stars in the heavens."

There was a collective "awww" in the room.

Octavius felt himself blush, but his eyes remained on Jedediah, who had a large grin on his face. Octavius saw him mouth "Te amo" and his heart swelled.

Jedediah patted his chest, before reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it quickly, turning it right side up, and cleared his throat. The cowboy pulled at his shirt collar nervously, but then he took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I ain't good with words. Nobody knows that like you do, Octy." Jed said, smiling.

Laughter rang through the room and Octavius stared adoringly at Jedediah, waiting for him to continue.

"But I always try 'n speak the truth, and of course I'm speakin' the truth right now. Octavius, I love you dearly. We've been through a lot t'gether, gettin' in 'n out of trouble here 'n there. I love every moment spent t'gether. Knowing I get to wake up an' spend each night with ya, well, I feel like the luckiest man alive. I want to 'pologize ahead o' time for anythin' stupid I say or do, but I want ya to know, as a man of actions, I'll be workin' hard for the rest of my life to make sure you're always happy. Love forever and ever, Jedediah."

Everyone was quiet. Jedediah looked up to see Octavius with tears rolling down his cheeks, his hand over his mouth.

"Hey...Octy." Jed said softly, opening his arms.

They embraced, holding each other tightly. Jed rubbed Octavius' back gently. The cowboy felt tears fall from his own eyes as Octavius whispered "I love you" many times in his ear.

They let go, and resumed standing close together. Jedediah held Octavius' hands in his, only letting go to let Octavius wipe his eyes. The Roman smiled at Jed, who grinned back and squeezed his hand happily.

They realized that their guests were drying their own tears. Sacagawea, with her gift of knowing what people need, held a tissue box out for the exhibits who needed one. Larry, who had stepped to the side while they had read their vows, was holding Ahkmenrah's hand in his own. Octavius saw him smile at the Pharaoh, before he went back to stand near Jedediah and Octavius.

"That was really sweet, guys. So now, you'll exchange rings." Larry announced.

One of Octavius' men came forward, holding small box in his hands. He presented it to Octavius, lifting the lid open to reveal their rings. They glinted, silver and gold, in the light of the candles. Octavius lifted them carefully from the box, giving the gold ring to Jedediah, while he held the silver ring in his own hand.

"Jed, you first. Go ahead and place the ring on Octavius' finger." Larry told him.

Jed nodded, and with a steady hand he slipped the gold ring onto Octavius' finger.

"With this ring, I promise our love will be 'n adventure that we'll share t'gether." Jed promised to Octavius.

Octavius smiled, and held Jed's hand as he slipped the silver ring onto the cowboy's finger. Jedediah's eyes widened at the sight of the ring, and he stared at it, a wide smile coming to his face.

"Well, I'll be..." The cowboy whispered. 

"With this ring, I shall always be with you. We shall always find each other through love." he promised Jedediah, before placing a soft kiss on Jed's hand. 

They looked up at Larry, who smiled at them. Larry looked up and out into the crowd, who sat smiling and waiting. Ahkmenrah came to stand next to Larry, and began to speak.

"Love has brought these two wonderful men together, like it has brought us all together. The magic of the Tablet is great, it brings us to life each night. But I think that its magic is only so powerful. Two hearts which beat as one, that share in happiness and sadness, and trust each other with their lives, are much stronger than any magic. Jedediah and Octavius will always have one another, and they will always have the love of their friends." The Pharaoh looked down at the two miniatures, his smile bright.

"I pronounce the brave cowboy Jedediah and the noble Roman Octavius as husbands and companions. May you always be together."

Jed, unable to contain himself, jumped up with a holler.

"Can I kiss him now?!"

Octavius with his heart soaring, wrapped his arms around Jedediah's shoulders. Jed grinned and brought his hands to hold the Roman's waist. 

"Yes... yes you can." Octavius whispered to his husband. 

Octavius covered Jedediah's lips with his own. It was the most wonderful kiss of their lives, time slowed for them as they held one another. All of their love for each other could be felt in their first kiss as a married couple.

* * *

Jed and Octavius stood close holding each others hands as their friends came up and congratulated them. Jedediah was practically bouncing in his boots, and he would look over at Octavius, his heart swelling with love and pride.

They were quite surprised to receive gifts. They hadn't asked or thought of the idea, but were touched as they were brought to them.  

Sacagawea gave them 3 beautiful blankets she had woven. She smiled timidly as Jed and Octavius thanked her, Octavius even gave her a soft kiss on her finger like the gentleman he was.

Attila walked up and barked something in Hun, his face twisting comically as he spoke. They blinked up at him, smiling politely when Ahkmenrah came up to them and said,

"He says that you two are a lovely couple and that he hopes you are very happy." Ahk told them, smiling.

"Thanks amigo!" Jed shouted up at Attila.

"Yes, thank you!" Octavius told him.

Ahkmenrah gave them a large box of expensive chocolate, much to Octavius' delight. 

Teddy spent a good five minutes giving them advice about love and a happy marriage, before Wea pulled him away gently. 

Nick, who had been busy taking pictures, plugged his camera into the front desk computer where he pulled up the pictures for Jed and Octavius to look at. 

"I'll keep taking pictures guys, but I just wanted you to see the photos from the ceremony. I made them a slideshow so everyone can walk by and see them!"

The two men looked up at their pictures. Octavius squeezed Jed's hand whenever he saw the next photo. 

"Aw, that's the cutest!" Jed exclaimed when he saw the photo of their kiss.

"Yes it is." Octavius agreed, smiling at Jed.

                                                                                                                                                         

* * *

There was tapping on a glass to announce that dinner was being served. The newlyweds were carried over to the head of the table where their usual small table for the holidays was set for them. Larry had provided lots of food like pasta, salad, roast chicken, fruit, cheese, and bread. Octavius had stammered, trying to find the words to thank Larry for his generosity, before Jed ran over and started dragging Octavius away to go fill their own tiny plates with food. Guests sat down and their was friendly chatter as they ate the delicious meal. Octavius and Jedediah conversed with their friends, laughing at jokes told. Nick snapped a few photos before sitting down next to Larry and Ahkmenrah.

When they would get a quiet moment, Octavius and Jed would look at each other, smiling shyly. Under the table their hands were intertwined. Octavius was happy to sit beside Jed. They hadn't seen each other for only a day, but it had felt like an eternity to Octavius. 

Champagne was poured, and Larry made a very nice toast to Octavius and Jedediah, making everyone smile and laugh as he did so. Everyone raised their glasses to Jed and Octavius and chanted "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!". With blushes on their faces, they kissed each other sweetly on the lips, much to the cheering and applause of the museum exhibits. Jed covered his red face with his hat and Octavius drank his champagne quickly, but they smiled nonetheless. 

* * *

 Their first dance was wonderful. Octavius had blushed when Jed had grabbed his hand, leading him to the center of the table they stood on. The lights had been dimmed slightly. Octavius gazed into Jedediah's blue eyes as the music began to play.

"I'm afraid... I'm not very good at dancing." He told Jedediah bashfully.

But Jed only smiled as he faced Octavius. 

"Don't worry. I got ya." Jed assured Octavius, before placing Octavius' right hand on his shoulder. Jed's left hand came to hold Octavius' waist and soon Jed and Octavius were dancing together, lost in each other and the music. 

_"It's a little bit funny... this feeling inside... I'm not one of those who can easily hide..."_

 Jed held Octavius close and smiled brightly as he lead Octavius, stepping carefully. Octavius, who had been slightly nervous, now relaxed as they danced together. He laughed when Jed spun them around. He wondered when Jedediah had learned to dance. Octavius couldn't look away from Jed. 

_"I know it's not much but it's the best I can do... My gift is my song and this one's for you..."_

Octavius beamed, his heart warm with joy as he danced with his husband. His right hand came up to hold the side of the handsome cowboy's face, his fingers brushing through Jed's blond hair. Jedediah brought his face close to Octavius', kissing the Roman's forehead softly. 

_"Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen..."_

Towards the end of the song, Jedediah had stopped moving and his arms had come to wrap around Octavius. They forgot about everyone and everything as their lips met. Their kiss said everything words could not.

_"How wonderful life is while you're in the world."_

* * *

 Afterwards the party really began. 

It was a fun wedding. They had Ahk and Nick as DJ's, who played many songs that Jed and Octavius had requested. A disco ball spun overhead, and lights danced around the room. Jed pulled Octavius up onto the turntable that Ahkmenrah was controlling. Octavius laughed as Jedediah began to dance enthusiastically. The cowboy jumped and spun, clapping in time with the music. Octavius watched as Jed's hips began to sway left and right before he felt Jed bump his hip against his own. 

"C'mon Octy! Shake it!" Jed laughed.

Octavius grinned and soon they were dancing together. The rest of the museum was dancing and partying wildly. At some point someone began bouncing a beach ball around the room. Ahkmenrah was dancing with Larry, who was pulling out his own unique dance moves much to the embarrassment of Nick. 

The music was loud and fast, and everyone danced and had fun. There was only smiles and laughter as the whole museum partied.  

Octavius and Jed had danced to many songs before they stopped, holding each other and grinning as they caught their breath. One of Octavius' men brought them drinks and they sat together and cooled down. They watched as the exhibits continued to party.  

"I wonder how long everyone will last this evening." Octavius said loudly for Jedediah to hear. 

The cowboy let out a laugh and took a sip of his drink. Jed took off his hat and fanned himself with it. 

"I dunno, but I reckon I got a few more songs in me 'fore I give up." Jed told Octavius. 

Octavius stood up and held his hand out to Jed.

"Let's dance then!"

* * *

Towards the end of the evening, Jed and Octavius had sat down on the front desk of the lobby to relax. The museum had quieted down somewhat, soft music was playing as Larry and Nick and some of the exhibits had begun to clean up the lobby. Jed and Octavius had shared a tiny piece of their wedding cake, and now they sat close together. Jedediah had his arm around Octavius and they held hands. Octavius rested his head upon Jed's shoulder and let out a happy sigh. They gazed up at the large Christmas tree with it's beautiful lights and colors. It had been a lovely night. 

 "Jed? Octavius?"

The two men turned to see Larry and Nick standing behind them. Nick held a large cardboard box in his hands and Larry looked excited. Jed stood up and offered his hand to Octavius, who took it and pulled himself up to stand beside Jedediah.  

"What's up, Laredo?" Jed asked.

"We, uh, well Nick and I have one more thing we wanted to give you two." Larry said smiling.

"My goodness, Larry you have done so much for us already." Octavius said kindly. 

"It's alright! We were actually the most excited about this and wanted to wait till the party died down to give it to you. Nick, could you?..." 

Nick set the box down on the desk. Jed and Octavius watched as the boy reached in carefully to lift something out of it. 

Octavius gasped, holding Jed's hand tightly. Jedediah took off his hat and let out a low whistle.

It was a house. The two miniatures walked quickly to look at it closely. It was the perfect size for Octavius and Jedediah.  The house was wooden, painted a glossy white with a dark roof. There were real glass windows, downstairs and upstairs, with blue shutters on the sides. Jedediah reached a hand out to touch the front door. It was painted the same rich blue, but someone had delicately painted "J&O" on it in gold paint. 

 "Larry..." Jed breathed.

"This is..." Octavius whispered. 

Larry only grinned and held up a finger.

"But wait! There's more!"

The night guard reached to the side of the house and undid a latch that was there. Jedediah and Octavius stepped back far enough for Larry to literally open the house. They gasped, seeing the different rooms within the house. On the first floor there was a bedroom with a medium sized bed, a small dining room with a table and chairs, and a sitting room with a couch. In a hallway between the sitting room and the bedroom was a staircase. Octavius and Jed could not see what was on the second floor, so they quickly made their way towards the house to take a look. 

Fine detail had been put into the house. The walls had a very faint smell of fresh paint. On some of the floors there was a soft material. Jedediah and Octavius walked up the stairs to find three empty rooms. Larry appeared on the other side, smiling at Jed and Octavius who had not said a word as they looked around.

"I'm sorry it's not completely furnished, but Nick and I thought you'd want to make it your own space. There's plenty of room to put stuff in-"

"It's perfect." Octavius said, and he meant it.

"Ya really outdone yerself Larry!" Jed exclaimed, his eyes wide. 

They ran down the stairs, out of the house, and across the desk to stand before the father and son. They looked at Nick and Larry with wide smiles and bright eyes. 

"Thank you My Liege, for everything... I don't know how we shall ever repay you for all you have done for us." Octavius said, hearing his voice waver. 

Octavius wiped his eyes once more, feeling extremely happy and emotional. Jed took his hand and squeezed it tightly.

 "Thanks Nick and Larry!" Jed shouted.

"There's one more thing guys!" Nick said excitedly. 

They watched as Nick reached a hand behind the house. A small "click" was heard, and suddenly small lights turned on in the rooms of the house. 

"We added a light switch so you guys could see. There's a smaller switch you can flip on or off in your bedroom!" Nick told them. 

 "Wow! You boys thought 'o everythin'!" Jed chuckled. 

Nick beamed at them. Larry put his hand on Nick's shoulder.

"Nick, uh... Why don't you tell Octavius and Jed "goodnight" and help Ahk with the music equipment." Larry suggested.

Nick shrugged and said goodnight to the newlyweds before walking away. Larry looked down at the miniature husbands, a small smile on his face. Octavius and Jed were still examining their new house, still in shock that it was theirs. 

"So guys... If you're ready to call it a night... I could put your new place somewhere... private." Larry said quietly, a blush coming to his face. 

Jed and Octavius stood up straight and looked at each other. 

"Oh, um... yes. Yes, that sounds... " Octavius stammered.

"Sure thing Gigantor! Take us away!" Jed said, grinning up at Larry. 

* * *

A few minutes later, Jedediah and Octavius were completely alone together in their new house. Larry had found a space for it within an almost empty supply closet, far away from any noisy exhibits. They had thanked Larry profusely for the wonderful night and their gift, but the man had only smiled and said it was no problem. Larry had told them that there was only a half hour left in the night before morning, and that he would come by around the same time tomorrow night. They said their goodbyes, and Larry shut the closet door, locking it behind him. Light came from a small crack at the bottom of the closet door, so they were not in complete darkness. 

They went into their house, heading towards the bedroom. Jed sat down on the soft bed with a quiet groan. It had been a fun and long evening. Octavius sat next to him, yawning behind his hand. 

"Well this was the best night of my life!" Jed told Octavius, grinning from ear to ear.

"It was mine as well. I shall never forget it." Octavius agreed happily. 

They were quiet for a moment, admiring their new bedroom. Octavius ran his hand over one of the four pillows on the bed, feeling how soft it was. 

"I do wish we could live in here all the time." Octavius murmured.

"Me too, but we'll spend lots a time t'gether." Jed said, stretching his arms above his head.

"So what shall we do now?" Octavius asked without thinking.

They were silent and still before they both let out a nervous chuckle. 

"Well..." Octavius murmured.

"Um..." Jed mumbled.

They had never had such a private place all to themselves. Another minute ticked by. Octavius looked down at his hand. Even in the dark room, he could see his wedding ring. Octavius smiled.

"What is it partner?" Jed asked, seeing Octavius smile. 

Octavius looked at his husband, his heart filled with love. He moved closer to Jed, their knees touching. Octavius had so many emotions running through him. Since they had mended their relationship and had become engaged, they had not had a chance for intimacy. Octavius had missed Jedediah, he had missed the cowboy's touch.

Octavius, with desire pooling in his belly, grabbed Jed's arms and brought his lips close to Jed's. Jed let out a soft gasp, but did not move away. Octavius felt Jed's breath against his lips. They gazed into each others eyes. 

 "Your eyes are so blue..." Octavius whispered. 

Jed let out a breath of laughter, but continued to look at Octavius. 

Their lips met softly. Octavius tasted the sweetness of their wedding cake, which made him smile against Jed's lips. The cowboy brought his arms up to wrap them around Octavius. Their kiss deepened, and Octavius could not help it as a soft moan escaped him. He lifted his hands to start fumbling with the buttons of Jed's shirt. 

Despite his shaking fingers, and Jedediah kissing his neck, Octavius managed to undo all of the buttons on Jed's black shirt. Octavius' hands ran over Jed's skin, feeling the cowboy's toned chest and stomach. 

He felt Jed shiver and he heard a quiet groan from his husband before Jed brought his lips away from Octavius' neck. 

"Sorry Oct, as much as I want to keep goin', which I _really_ do, we don't have much time left t'night." 

Octavius sighed but nodded, knowing it was true. His tired eyes met Jed's and he smiled. 

"I understand my love." Ovtavius whispered, trying not to yawn. He now realized how tired he was. 

Jed was quiet for a moment, before he smirked at Octavius. Jedediah suddenly reached over and started to remove Octavius' armor. 

"Jed? What are you doing?" Octavius asked curiously. 

"We may not have time for anythin' t'night, but we can at least be ready for t'morrow." Jed purred, still undressing Octavius.

Octavius blushed but he felt excited at the thought. 

Soon they laid down, arms wrapped around each other. Octavius rested his head upon Jedediah's chest, hearing his husband's steady heartbeat. 

His eyes had grown quite heavy. Octavius felt cold and he shivered. He wasn't sure when his eyes had closed, but he suddenly felt a warm blanket being laid over him. Jed had grabbed one of the blankets they had been given. 

"There you go baby." Octavius heard Jed whisper lovingly. 

All that could be heard was the sound of their gentle breathing. Octavius let happy memories of the evening drift through his mind.  Before he fell asleep in Jedediah's arms, Octavius remembered. 

"Merry Christmas my love." He whispered, his hand holding Jedediah's. 

He felt Jed squeeze his hand, perhaps whispering the words back. But sleep and pleasant dreams had come edging in so softly and kindly and the warmth of Jedediah's arms was all he could feel as he fell asleep. 


	7. Chapter 7

Jedediah woke up more comfortable than he had ever in his life. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the darkness of the bedroom. It was night time again. Jed laid still, listening. He heard the distant noises of the museum coming alive, but everyone else was far away. He became quite happy at the realization.

 He turned his head to look at the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. Octavius was already with him, sleeping peacefully. The Roman was laying on his back, his right arm up and under his pillow, his left hand resting on his muscled chest. Jed saw Octavius' gold ring on his finger and his heart beat with love.

Jedediah could hardly believe it. He was married!

How wonderful last night had been. He had never had so much fun in his entire life. A large smile slid on his face as he laid there remembering everything. Giddiness danced in his chest and wouldn't stop. He took a quiet deep breath, calming himself. Carefully he turned over to lay on his side, facing Octavius. 

Jedediah watched him sleep, wondering if he was having pleasant dreams. He inched himself closer to Octavius, hoping that he wouldn't wake the other man. He wanted to enjoy these moments, savor them. He wanted to lay next to his husband, he wanted to have these quiet and private mornings together. 

His husband.

Jedediah lifted his hand to admire his own wedding ring, the silver bright against  skin. 

Jedediah heard Octavius moan softly. He looked to see Octavius still asleep. Jed knew that Octavius sometimes had troubles waking up, especially from nightmares. He laid there quietly, watching his husband for signs of distress. It was a few moments before anything happened. 

Octavius' head tilted upwards against the pillow and he let out a small sigh. Jed's heart sped up, Octavius' hand had begun twitching on his chest before it slowly traveled down his stomach, and then it slid even lower. He hadn't noticed that the covers had slipped down while they sleeping, but now with a blush on his face, Jedediah saw that Octavius was hard. The Roman's hand had reached his groin and Jed held his breath when he saw Octy's fingers wrap around his cock. 

Desire had reached his own body, Jed felt himself grow hard as he watched Octavius stroke himself slowly. It was as if he was in a trance. He didn't want to wake Octavius up so he could watch his husband do something so incredibly arousing, but at the same time he wished to replace Octavius' hand with his own...

His thoughts were interrupted by another soft moan from Octavius.

" _Jedediah_..." he heard Octavius sigh softly in his sleep.

Jedediah couldn't believe this was happening, but was so turned on. Octavius was aroused and dreaming of him. Without another thought he moved right next to Octavius. With his heart racing he brought his hand up to the right side of Oct's face, gently turning it towards his own. He pressed his lips softly against Octavius', feeling his body shiver in pleasure. His hand trailed down, his fingers brushing lightly against Octavius' neck. He continued to press soft kisses on Oct's lips as the Roman's hand moved slightly faster, stroking himself. 

Octavius suddenly went still. His brown eyes opened slowly, meeting Jedediah's. The cowboy smiled at him and Octavius smiled back, his eyes filled with love. The Roman's face suddenly had a look of confusion and he looked down to see that he was holding himself. Octavius gasped, his face turning red, but before he could move his hand away, Jedediah's hand came to hold his wrist. Octavius turned his head quickly to look at Jed, opening his mouth to speak, but the cowboy brought his lips to Octavius', kissing him passionately. 

Jedediah kissed Octavius greedily, seeming unable to control himself. They were alone together and he had never felt so happy. Their kisses were deep, their breathing matched as their lips moved together. Jed's tongue flicked against Octavius', causing the Roman to moan. Jedediah brought his lips away, nipping Octavius' lower lip gently before he did so. 

Jedediah looked down at his gorgeous husband who was breathing hard, his toned chest rising and falling, eyes half-lidded and filled with lust. His eyes flicked down, seeing Octavius' cock twitch in his hand. He smirked and looked back at Oct. Slowly, he let go of Octavius' wrist.

"Keep goin'..." Jed whispered seductively. 

Octavius blinked up at him, biting his lip. After a moment he closed his eyes and started stroking himself again slowly. Jedediah brought his lips to Octy's ear, his right hand rested on Octavius' warm chest. 

"What a nice way to wake up, hmm?" Jed murmured.

Octavius licked his lips, nodding. He groaned when Jed's hand moved, his fingers gliding down his taut abdomen. 

 "What were ya dreamin' 'bout?" Jed asked coyly. 

"...My husband." Octavius whispered, turning his head to look at Jedediah, his eyes filled with love and desire.

"Mmm... Was he makin' you feel good?" Jed asked.

Octavius blushed harder but nodded. Jed smirked before he brought his head down to trail kisses down Octy's neck and shoulders. He reached Octavius' chest, and the Roman gasped when Jed's mouth fell over a nipple, the cowboy's tongue caressing and draping over it. Jed heard Octavius moan softly and he looked up, smiling. Octavius' hand was stroking faster now, the Roman moaning Jedediah's name. 

Jed sat up, his back resting against the headboard, and with a small gasp from Octavius he pulled his husband against him. Oct's back was against his chest and Jedediah held Octavius in his arms as his hands trailed up and down his chest and stomach. Octavius had let himself go when Jedediah moved him, but with a shaking hand he took hold of his aching member. 

"Look what you did to yerself..." Jed breathed in his ear, his voice laden with arousal.

He could feel Octavius' body trembling, and he knew what Octavius needed. But Jed wanted to have fun.

"Go nice an' slow." Jed commanded gently.

 Octavius' head fell back against Jed's shoulder, his hand slowing it's movements. Jedediah began kissing Octavius' neck, making the Roman breathe harder. Jed bit down gently, sucking at the sensitive skin. Octy cried out in pleasure as Jedediah's tongue massaged were he had bit.

" _Faster_." Jedediah told Octavius, his heart pounding.

Octavius moaned, his hand stroked his cock quickly. Jedediah's own cock was painfully hard, he was enjoying this immensely. He loved Octavius so much and so deeply. He loved how in control the Roman always was, but seeing his husband like this, moaning and panting, unable to think because of the pleasure, coming so undone- it was incredibly arousing to Jedediah. He laid his hand on Octy's heart, feeling it beat fast under his heated skin. 

"P-please, Jed.  _Please_..." Octavius gasped, his entire body trembling in Jedediah's arms. 

Jedediah shuddered, hearing Octavius' pleas for release. Jed held Octavius tighter in his arms, his hands running over Oct's chest, his flexing stomach, his fingers trailing close to where Octavius was stroking himself. Every moan, every gasp that Octavius let out made Jedediah's body shiver, and the cowboy wondered if he was being evil for making his husband wait so long to come. Finally, unable to take the wonderful sight of Octavius in such a state any longer, Jed brought his lips close to Octavius' ear and whispered,

"Come for me."  

 Octavius' head fell back against his shoulder and Jedediah swiftly covered Octy's lips with his own. The Roman moaned hard, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his hand stilled suddenly, his hips thrusting upwards as he came, his cock spurting onto his smooth stomach and chest. Jed moaned at the sight, his body on fire. Octavius took deep breaths, his body recovering from his orgasm. They kissed softly, smiling against each others lips.

Jed let go of Octavius, getting up from the bed to retrieve some tissue for Octavius, when he was felt strong hands grab his hips, turning him back around to face Octavius.

"Oct! What-" Jed gasped.

Octavius was always a passionate lover, but Jed was overwhelmed with the desire he saw within Octavius' warm brown eyes. The pleasure that Octavius had just experienced had not sated the Roman, no, as Jed could tell it had only made Octavius want more. 

"Not so fast, cowboy." Octavius whispered.

Octavius moved to kneel before Jedediah, his hands holding onto the cowboys hips. He looked up at Jedediah with his warm eyes and dark slightly parted lips and Jed moaned inwardly. He knew what Octavius wanted to do, and damn it if it wasn't already arousing just to see Octavius like this. 

Jed let out a shaky breath as Octavius wrapped a warm hand around Jed's cock. The Roman began to stroke Jedediah slowly as he started kissing Jed's stomach. Jed bit his lip softly, running a hand through his hair. Octavius began to stroke Jed faster, causing the cowboy to let out a soft moan. Jed, with his heart beating fast in his chest, looked down to see Octavius looking up at him, his lips close to Jed's member. Oct was so close that Jed could his cool breath against his heated skin and he shuddered. Every moan and shiver from Jedediah caused Octavius to smirk and either speed up or slow down his stroking. Jedediah suddenly understood that this was payback for earlier. 

"It feels good, doesn't it Jedediah?" Octavius purred, flashing Jedediah a brilliant smile. 

Jed smirked, reaching a hand to cup the side of Octavius' face softly. His thumb brushed over the Roman's lips, tracing their shape, before Jed pressed his thumb gently down on Oct's lower lip, opening his mouth. Octavius let out a breath, his eyes filled with desire as he looked up at Jedediah. 

"Not as good as this feels..." Jed whispered, feeling his cheeks burn as he said the words.

With a quick movement Octavius suddenly grabbed Jedediah's legs, causing the cowboy to gasp. His eyes widened when Octavius brought his mouth forward, and he felt a delightful shiver run up his spine as Octavius' hot and slick tongue met the tip of his cock. 

" _Fuck_ , Oct.." Jed groaned. 

Before Jed could even recover from that, Octavius let out a low moan as he took Jedediah's cock completely in his mouth. Jed's head tilted back and he moaned, overcome by the feeling. His hand came to hold the back of Octavius' head, his fingers running through the short locks of hair. In the haze of pleasure, Jed willed himself to not thrust his hips as he didn't want to hurt Octavius.

He also knew there was no need. Octavius had done this before, and knew Jed's body so well. Octavius took the first few minutes to go slowly, his tongue stroking against the head and underneath Jed's shaft. 

Jed's legs shook and he was breathing hard, his eyes fixed on Octavius. Octavius was enjoying this too, and Jed saw that his eyes were glazed over in pleasure, the tinge of red on his cheeks, and he heard Octavius' soft moans and the slick noises his mouth was making. 

 Octavius was _too_ good. 

The Roman's head bobbed up and down faster. Jed could hardly think, but he knew he was approaching the edge quickly. He heard his own moans and gasps, heard Octavius moaning with Jed in his mouth, and he unconsciously grasped the back of Octavius' head, pushing his aching cock deep within Octavius' mouth. 

"I-I'm gonna-" Jed gasped.

 Jed's eyes fell shut, but lights burst behind them as his whole body shuddered. His cock twitched in the wonderful heat of Octavius' mouth as he came, hard. Jedediah moaned Octavius' name loudly as he felt himself spill into Oct's throat, and he felt Oct's lips tighten around him, the Roman's throat working to swallow his release. 

Octavius' mouth came away and Jedediah sunk back onto the bed, breathing hard and shaking. His eyes were closed, and he took deep breaths, still feeling the lingering pleasure. 

It was a few moments before he opened his eyes, and what he saw made him laugh loudly.

Octavius stood above him striking a pose, grinning at Jedediah with the cowboy's hat upon his head. 

Jed laughed until his sides hurt. Octavius laughed too, his eyes crinkling in merriment. Jedediah grabbed Octavius and they fell onto the bed together, still chuckling as they wrapped their arms around each other. 

* * *

They laid together on the bed quietly. Jedediah gazed at Octavius.

Jed brought a hand up to Octavius' face, his fingers brushing against the Roman's forehead. He traced a path from Octavius' forehead to his jaw, his fingertips met Octavius' lips where the Roman kissed them softly. Jed smiled, his hand continuing its path as he stroked over Oct's neck, his toned chest and stomach. Jedediah's hand slipped around Octavius' waist and the cowboy felt the smooth skin of Oct's back. Jed's hand dipped lower, cupping the toned flesh of Octavius' behind softly. Jed's heart was beating fast and he looked at Octavius. His husband had closed his eyes while Jed was touching him, but opened them when Jed's hand had come back to hold Octavius'. The Roman smiled and Jed felt his heart swell.

"Ya know... I've stopped worryin' about whether I'm real or not..." Jed murmured.

"Jed?" Octavius breathed.

"...Now I'm always wonderin' if you're real."

Jed wrapped an arm around Octavius' waist, pulling the Roman closer to him. Their noses were almost touching, and Jed was lost in the warmth of Octavius' eyes. 

"...'Cause you're perfect." Jed whispered. 

 Octavius blushed, but a wide smile came to his face as he gave Jedediah an adoring look.

"My, Jedediah you have become quite the romantic-" Octavius teased, before Jed cut him off with a kiss.

 Their kisses were gentle and slow. There was no need to rush this evening, or any evening from now on. Jedediah placed his hand on Octavius' chest, feeling his husband's heart beat fast beneath the skin. Their lips parted and Octavius smiled softly at Jedediah. The Roman placed his hand over Jedediah's.

"For you. Only you." Octavius promised him.

Their lips met once more, their kisses longer and more passionate. They were lost in each other, arms wrapped around each other tightly. Octavius' hands held Jed's head, his fingers running through the cowboy's blond hair. Their tongues danced together, kisses becoming deeper. Jedediah ran his hands all over Octavius' back, feeling his husband shiver at his touch made Jedediah's desire grow. Jed's hand found the small of Octavius' back and Jed pulled him closer without thinking. 

Octavius gasped and they both moaned, feeling their erect cocks brush together. Jedediah smirked and rolled his hips, earning another moan from Octavius. Jedediah felt greedy, but he loved seeing Octavius like this, aroused and flushed, moaning and breathy. 

He captured Octavius' lips in another kiss, softly biting the Roman's lower lip as he continued to roll his hips. Their hard cocks stroked against each other, hot and leaking. Jedediah found himself above Octavius, kissing the Roman's neck as Octavius moaned, feeling his husband holding onto his back. Jedediah nipped at Octavius' neck, sucking the sensitive skin until marks bloomed in color. 

He felt Octavius' hands on his waist, and Jedediah groaned when Octavius rocked his hips upward, the Roman smirking up at him with lust in his brown eyes. Jedediah let out a breath of laughter. They resumed kissing, their bodies moving against each other slowly, feeling the heat and their desire growing as the minutes slipped slowly by. Finally, when they could not hold each other tighter, when their bodies were trembling together, they looked into each other eyes. Jedediah's heart was pounding. Octavius' lips were red from their kissing, his husband was gripping his back tightly, and Jedediah felt their aching cocks twitch against each other. 

"Jedediah... I want... you. I want us to... I want you to make love to me." Octavius panted, looking into Jedediah's blue eyes with love. 

Jedediah took a deep breath, feeling nervous.

"Oct, I... I want to. I love ya so much. I-I just don't want to hurt ya..." Jed whispered truthfully.

Octavius held the back of Jed's head, pulling it down towards him so he could kiss his husband sweetly. He moved to sit up and Jedediah lifted his body off of Octavius so the Roman could move. Octavius leaned over the side of the bed, reaching towards his clothes on the floor. Jedediah watched curiously for a moment before Octavius turned back to him, holding a small glass bottle in his hand. He held it out to Jedediah, and the cowboy took it carefully.

"It's... oil. I requested it from one of the Roman's in my diorama. It... it will make things easier." Octavius told Jedediah, a blush reaching his cheeks. 

Jed nodded, understanding. He set the bottle beside him on the bed. Jedediah held his arms out to Octavius, who with a smile embraced Jedediah. They held each other for a few moments, and Jed could feel their hearts racing. Jedediah let go of Octavius, kissing his husband's forehead lovingly before Octavius laid back down. 

Jedediah took a moment to calm himself, taking a deep breath. He wanted this. Octavius wanted this. 

Jedediah moved between Octavius' legs. Octavius blushed, his legs slightly trembling as he opened them for Jedediah. As nervous as Jedediah was, he knew that Octavius was also anxious. 

"Let me know if it hurts, 'kay Oct?" Jed murmured. 

Octavius quickly nodded, letting his head fall back against the pillow softly. Jedediah grabbed the bottle of oil beside him, uncorking it easily enough. He let drops of it fall against his fingers carefully, before awkwardly re-corking the bottle with his left hand. The oil had a faint but pleasant smell, Jedediah noticed. He rubbed his thumb against his fingers, making them slick. He turned his attention back to Octavius, who's eyes were up towards the ceiling and Jed's heart was beating fast once more. 

Jedediah's eyes flicked downward, paying attention to what he was doing. He placed a finger against Octavius' entrance, feeling the Roman flinch slightly. Jed massaged there gently, his eyes falling over Octavius. He had never had Octavius laid out in front of him like this before, and despite his bashfulness, Jedediah felt himself becoming aroused once more. 

"You're gorgeous, Oct." Jed promised, earning a small smile from his husband.

Carefully, Jedediah slipped his finger inside of Octavius. Jed was silent, listening for signs of pain or distress from Octavius. He moved his finger in and out slowly, still listening. After a long moment, he glanced up to see Octavius' with his eyes closed, the Roman had his arms at his sides, but Jedediah saw his hands clutching the sheets. Jed couldn't help it as he let out a quiet chuckle.

"Octavius..."

"Y-yes?"

"Breathe."

Jed watched as Octavius let out a long but slow breath. Octavius opened his eyes, the warm brown finding Jed's blue and with a shy smile, Octavius also let out a breath of laughter. Jed smiled, kissing the inside of Octavius' leg softly. 

"There ya go." Jed whispered.

Soon gone was the shyness, the slight amusement. In the next few concentrated minutes, Jedediah prepared Octavius. Jedediah had inserted another finger, and watched as Octavius began to breathe harder, biting his lip as Jed continued his motion with his fingers. The feeling of Octavius around his fingers made Jed's body aware that another part of him would feel that tight heat soon enough. But Jed wanted to make sure Octavius was alright, that his husband really wanted this. 

Octavius' head fell back against the pillow, his cheeks were red and he continued to gasp. Suddenly, with Jed's fingers slipping in deeper, Octavius let out moan. 

"Does... Does it feel good?" Jedediah asked.

Octavius, with his eyes half-lidded, nodded to Jedediah. The cowboy's confidence grew, and he massaged his fingers again over the spot, earning another moan from Octavius. The Roman was panting, clutching the sheets with his hands, and Jedediah saw that Octavius' cock was erect once more, twitching against his stomach. Jedediah felt desire pool in his belly. Seeing Octavius like this was torture, and he could feel that his own cock was aching. Jed continued his pace, his fingers moving in a scissoring motions as he stretched Octavius, making sure to brush his fingers against that spot that made Octavius feel good. Their breathing became loud, Octavius' chest was rising and falling rapidly. After another minute he heard Octavius' voice. 

 "Oh Gods, Jedediah, I-I need... I want..." Octavius panted.

 Jedediah nodded quickly, understanding, feeling his own need. Carefully he removed his fingers from Octavius, hearing his husband gasp. Jedediah was quick to pour oil onto his hand, stroking his hard cock twice to slicken it. With quick movements Jedediah positioned Octavius' body, lifting the Roman's hips so Octavius' lower back rested against Jed's knees, spreading Oct's thighs further. Jedediah looked up at Octavius, who after taking deep breaths, nodded to Jedediah. Jed smiled, his hand brushing over Octavius' erection, causing his husband to moan softly. 

Jedediah guided his cock towards Octavius' entrance, biting his lip as he began to ease himself slowly inside. Jedediah moaned inwardly, his mind going blank as he felt Octavius' tight heat around him. With eyes glazed in pleasure he looked at Octavius' face. He saw Octavius wince, and Jed was about to stop, but Octavius grabbed his hand.

"Keep going!" Octavius pleaded. 

Jedediah squeezed Octavius' hand before letting go to hold onto Octavius trembling legs. He slipped in deeper until he felt himself completely sheathed inside of Octavius. They both shuddered, breathing hard. Jedediah stayed still, letting Octavius adjust to his size. Jedediah murmured soothing words to Octavius, his hands stroking the inside of Octavius' thighs softly. He felt his cock twitch inside of Octavius, and he couldn't help but moan, realizing he was inside of Octavius, that they were so close, so connected. Jed saw Octavius' cock twitch against his toned stomach. 

"You alright?" Jed asked gently.

"Yes. Yes I'm alright." Octavius breathed.

"Can... can I move?" whispered huskily, the slick tight heat around his cock growing unbearable.

Octavius licked his lips and dipped his head in a nod, gazing into Jedediah's eyes. Jedediah pulled out of Octavius slightly, hearing Octavius let out a breath, before he pushed his cock back inside. They moaned and shivered, eyes locked upon each other's faces. Jedediah repeated the motion, rolling his hips, his cock slipping in and out of Octavius.

Oh, damn, did it feel amazing. Jedediah had never felt so good. The hot, tight, slick feeling was incredible. Jed rocked his hips slowly, gazing at Octavius. His husband was breathing hard, arms above his head as he clutched the pillow, his face flushed. Jedediah wondered if Octavius was feeling good when the Roman's eyes opened wide and he moaned loudly. 

"Ah, Jed, th-there!" Octavius gasped.

Jedediah's heart was beating fast, his cock throbbing, aroused at the sight of Octavius. He rocked his hips against the same spot, earning another gasp and moan from Octavius. Jed smirked, laughter rumbling in his chest as he leaned forward. He repeated the motion, groaning but keeping his eyes on Octavius.

"...There?" Jed purred, smiling when he received a breathy moan from Octavius. 

 Jed moved again but now was not as slow, back and forth, in and out, slick and tight and hot. Jedediah's eyes fell shut as he pushed inside of Octavius, his body trembling. It felt amazing. Octavius was enjoying this too, moaning and shaking each time Jedediah went deep inside him, brushing against that pleasurable spot. Jed's hips began to move quicker, and he saw Octavius' own erect member bobbing slightly with the motion of Jed's thrusts. 

" _Octavius_..." Jed moaned. 

He let go of Octavius' thighs, hearing his husband cry out as Jedediah came closer, burying himself deeper in Octavius' arse. He was on top of Octavius, their lips met and they kissed. Octavius' mouth opened so Jed could swipe his tongue across his. Octavius' hands held Jedediah's head, fingers tangled in his blond locks as they kissed, Jedediah still thrusting his hips faster. Their lips parted, but Octavius began to kiss and suck on Jedediah's neck. The cowboy groaned, feeling Oct's teeth against his skin, knowing Octavius was leaving love marks there. Just as Octavius was flicking his skilled tongue against the sensitive marks, Jedediah lowered his lips to Octavius' chest, his tongue lapping against Octavius' hardened nipple. 

 "Jed!" Octavius gasped, clutching the cowboy's shoulders.

Jedediah slipped himself out of Octavius, causing Octavius to gasp. He motioned for Octavius to flip over, seeing the blush on Octavius' face as his husband positioned himself on his hands and knees. Jedediah wasted no time in gripping Oct's hips, slipping his cock back inside of Octavius. They moaned loudly, Jed's hips thrusting fast and hard. 

 Jedediah's heart was racing, and he felt the sweat upon his and Octavius' body, their combined heat wonderful in the cold room. His cock throbbed within Octavius, striking that spot that made Octavius clutch the pillow in ecstasy. Between moans and breaths, Jedediah heard Octavius mumbling in Latin, 

" _More... Harder... Jedediah..._ " 

"You got it baby." He growled, leaning his body over Octavius. 

Jed's hips thrusted faster, his breath becoming short gasps against the heated skin of Octavius' back. Jedediah's hand came underneath Octavius' body, sliding down his stomach, grasping Octavius' cock. Octavius' shuddered beneath him as he began to stroke Octavius in time to his thrusts. Jedediah felt so good, too good. His body felt weightless, their moans were constant. He heard Octavius whispering his name, and Jedediah felt so happy, so loved, he had all he wanted, all he needed right here. 

"I wanna... make you feel... this good...  all the time...  _fuck_ ,  _Octavius!_ " Jed moaned. 

His hand and body stilled and Octavius groaned.

"J-Jed?" Octavius gasped. 

 "I want to see you." 

Jed laid his body down upon the bed, holding Octavius in his arms. Soon, Octavius was above him, the Roman's body trembling as he eased himself down upon Jedediah's cock. Jed stroked Octavius' back, before holding Octavius' hips. Octavius, unable to wait any longer, began to move his hips up and down. They both moaned, without saying a word they knew that Jed was so deep within Octavius. They were hot, bodies shaking as Octavius rode Jedediah. Jedediah gazed up at his husband. Octavius was beautiful. His eyes, lips, nose, chest, stomach... Jedediah's heart was beating fast with love for this perfect man he was married to. He was real. This love was real.

He felt the climax approaching, groaning as Octavius rode him harder and faster. Octavius was trembling, his hand about to reach down to take hold of his throbbing, leaking cock when Jedediah grasped it in his hand. Octavius gasped, his head falling forward, mouth open, eyes glazed over in pleasure. Jedediah saw the desire, the need in his husband's eyes, felt Octavius' cock twitch hard in his hand, so he began to stroke quickly. 

Octavius was moaning his name, erotic things in Latin, and it was too much, just too much. Jedediah's hips thrusted upward, his hand stroking Octavius' cock clumsily as he felt his thoughts slipping.

"Fuck, _fuck_ , Oct, I'm coming-" Jedediah cried out.

Lights burst in his eyes as intense pleasure whisked across his heated skin, and Jedediah felt his cock tense and he came, hard, spurting deep inside of Octavius' tight walls. He panted, overcome with the feeling, but still able to see Octavius' face, so masked in pleasure and his hand was still moving, stroking over Octavius' cock.

"Jedediah..." Octavius whispered, his hands clutching Jed's shoulders.

"Yeah baby?" Jed purred, already knowing.

"Jed, I..."

"Yeah..."

"I-I'm-"

" _Octavius..."_ Jed moaned, his heart racing.

Octavius' whole body shook, his back arching, moaning loudly as he came. Jedediah felt Octavius' cock twitch and spill onto his hand and stomach. Jedediah let go of Octavius just as his husband fell forward, his forehead against Jed's chest as he breathed deeply. They both were shivering, wide eyed, in disbelief of how good they had just felt. Octavius raised his head to look at Jedediah.

They smiled at each other. Jedediah lifted himself up slightly, his arms wrapping around Octavius. 

* * *

 

In the minutes that followed, they had cleaned up and rearranged their bed. Octavius and Jedediah laid comfortably in it, planning on enjoying the last couple of hours of the evening together relaxing. They laid close together, catching each other's eye and they would blush, grins breaking across their faces. 

The husbands kissed softly, their lips gentle. Octavius kissed Jed's forehead, his cheeks, and his nose. Jed sighed happily, holding Octavius in his arms.

"I love you." Octavius whispered.

Jedediah smiled, his heart fluttering when he saw a tear fall from the corner of Octavius' eye. His kissed Octavius sweetly.

"I love you too. But I'm only allowin' happy tears in this marriage." Jed teased weakly, his eyes growing heavy.

Octavius chuckled, kissing the cowboy on the lips.

"Nothing but happiness, my love." he promised. 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Jedediah had not felt afraid in a long time.

Life had been good the past few years. He and Octavius spent every night together in the museum, enjoying being married.They were happy, so happy together. The moment he woke up at night, Jed went to Octavius, throwing his arms around his handsome husband and kissing him happily. 

Octavius was his life. Everything they did, they did together. The house that Larry gave them truly became a home for the two men. After playing pranks and spending time with Larry or their other friends, Jed and Oct always found themselves in their house. They ate meals in their kitchen, they watched movies on the old iPod Larry had given them, cuddling together on a small couch upstairs, and in the bedroom...

Well, that was _always_ wonderful. Several nights a week ended with them laying spent on their bed, catching their breath as they grinned at each other, basking in the after glow of making love. Jed would hold Octavius in his arms, and the Roman would kiss him over and over until Jed felt desire stir in his belly once more and they would repeat the act, gasping each other's names as they came together. 

Life was wonderful with Octavius. 

* * *

 And then, when Jedediah thought nothing bad could happen, it did. 

One evening, after extremely passionate sex, Jedediah laid in bed with Octavius. Jed sighed happily, his arms behind his head while Octavius had his head resting on the cowboy's chest and an arm across his stomach. Jed closed his eyes, feeling quite tired. He was about to fall asleep, when his eyes shot open. 

Octavius was above him, a terrible look of anger upon his face. The Roman had his dagger at Jed's throat, and Jed could feel the sharp point against his skin. His eyes widened and he froze, scared. 

"Oct-Octavius, what are you doing?!" Jed gasped, clutching the bed sheets. 

"Who are you?! What did you do to me?!" Octavius spat, gritting his teeth angrily.

"Baby, what, it's me! Octavius, it's me, Jed!" Jedediah pleaded, trying to back away from the dagger.

Octavius grabbed Jed's throat painfully with his left hand, bringing himself closer to Jed. Octavius was full of rage, his eyes held no warmth as he pressed the sharp blade against Jed's throat. Jed gasped, scared and unsure of what to do.

"Octy..." Jed whispered sadly, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Time seemed to slow as Jed watched as Octavius' expression changed from anger to confusion and then to sadness. Octavius shook his head slowly, the dagger coming away from Jed's throat and falling from Octavius' fingers. Octavius held his head in his hands, his body shaking violently. Jedediah stood up from the bed, rubbing his throat as he stared at Octavius. 

What the hell had just happened?

"Octavius?" Jed whispered.

"J-Jed? M-my love I'm so sorry." Octavius sobbed, wrapping his arms around himself, his nails digging into his skin.

Jedediah went to his side quickly, pulling Octavius tightly into his arms he held him close as Octavius continued to sob. He stroked Octavius' hair, wondering what had caused Octavius to act like he had. It was as if he was possessed. 

* * *

 After that night, Octavius was afraid to be alone with Jedediah. They tried to go on with their life as if it had not happened, but it had affected them. Jed could hardly get Octavius to smile, no matter what he tried. Octavius was afraid to touch Jed, and they stopped making love. 

Jedediah loved Octavius and knew that they were both hurting, but had no idea why. Why had Octavius acted that way? What had come over him?

One night Jed went on his own to drive around in the RC to clear his head. He had wanted Octavius to accompany him on his drive, like old times, but the Roman had only shaken his head sadly. Jed's brow furrowed, and he felt angry. Why did Octavius have to act like that? Why couldn't Octavius show him affection anymore? He grew angrier and angrier, driving around recklessly. 

Suddenly, Jedediah felt like he had had the wind knocked out of him. He could not breathe, feeling like he was suffocating underneath the sand in the hour glass once more. Even worse, his limbs had frozen, he could not steer the car or put on the brakes. If he could yell, he would have. Instead, Jed was powerless as the car drove full speed into a stone wall. All Jed could remember in those frightening moments was the painful impact of the car striking the wall, and he could feel the car crash loudly onto its side before his vision went dark. 

He heard someone shouting his name from far away.

Jed opened his eyes, his vision blurry. Soon, Octavius came into focus. The Roman had tears running down his cheeks and he held Jedediah in his arms. Jed raised his arm, his hand reaching to touch Octavius' face when he realized he could move his body again. His head hurt, but he supposed that was better than being dead. 

"Jedediah! Oh thank Jupiter, you are alive!" Octavius cried, holding Jed tighter. 

"Oct..." Jed croaked as Octavius pressed gentle kisses all over his face.

"Jed, what happened?" Octavius asked, his eyes filled with worry.

"Not sure... My... body froze while I was drivin'. Couldn't brake or nothin'." Jed groaned, his head hurting worse. 

He heard loud foot steps and suddenly Larry was there, asking what had happened.

Jedediah felt dizzy, closing his eyes once more. 

* * *

When he woke up again, Jedediah found himself in bed in their house. Octavius was lying beside him, awake. Jedediah saw that his eyes were red, and Octavius looked exhausted. Jedediah looked closely at Octavius. They had spent so many years together, and he knew that they were both essentially ageless, but to Jedediah Octavius looked much older and worn. Jed could see parts of the Roman's hair graying. 

Were they ageless? How much time did they have?

"Octavius..." Jed groaned, turning his body towards his husband. Octavius looked up at Jedediah, a worried expression upon his face. Oct reached out a shaking hand and Jed took it, threading their fingers together. 

"Jed, are you alright?" Octavius whispered.

"Welp, I'm a lil' sore, but I'm think'n I'll be alright."Jed murmured.

They were quiet, gazing at each other. Octavius brought his body closer to Jed's. Their lips met in a gentle kiss and Jedediah could feel Octavius' lips tremble against his. They parted, and Octavius took a shaky breath, his eyes filling with tears as he looked at Jedediah.

"Octavius, please stop cryin'... I'm okay, promise." Jed told Octavius gently, but the Roman shook his head.

"Jedediah... what is happening to us? It is as if the world is working against us. I almost killed you... And now this? Why are these things happening?" Octavius asked, his fist striking the bed angrily. 

"I dunno, Oct. But... I remember us promisin' each other that we would always be t'gether... That we wouldn't push each other 'way when we're scared." Jed whispered, bringing Octavius' hand towards his lips, kissing it softly. 

Octavius gave him a small smile, his hand reaching to hold the side of Jedediah's face. 

"I'm sorry Jed... I'm just afraid I'll hurt you." Octavius said, looking at Jedediah sadly. 

Jed didn't say anything. He gazed at Octavius, his heart beating fast like it always did when he looked at his husband. Octavius had removed his armor and tunic, his chest bare. His hand rested on his chest, and Jed could see the ring that he had given to Octavius, remembering the promises that he had made with it. 

Jedediah moved his body so that he was above Octavius. For a brief moment he saw Octavius look up at him surprised, his brown eyes wide before Jed kissed him. Jed heard Octavius' intake of breath before he felt the Roman's arms come up to wrap around his shoulders. Their kiss deepened, both men moaning softly as they held each other close. 

They made love that night. It was slow, gentle. Jedediah buried his face against Octavius' neck, the Roman gripping his back and whispering " _Te amo, te amo!_ ", their bodies shivering, their hearts shuddering as they came, wrapped in each other's arms.

Jedediah kissed Octavius, tasting the salt of his tears on his lips.

Afterwards they laid together, blankets covering their bodies as they were falling asleep. Jedediah kissed Octavius' cheek, smiling as his husband's eyes began to drift closed. 

"Don't you worry Oct... We're gonna be okay." Jedediah had whispered, hoping it was true.

* * *

 A few weeks had passed since Jedediah's accident. 

Jedediah and Octavius celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary on December 24th. They had shared a cake with their friends, and had toasted to each other with glasses of champagne. They sat on the front desk together, gazing up at the familiar Christmas tree that shined beautifully in the dim lobby. Jedediah turned to look at Octavius, admiring his handsome husband. He couldn't believe that he had been married for five years to such a wonderful person. 

Octavius found Jed's gaze, smiling at the cowboy. 

They kissed each other softly. Octavius leaned his head against Jed's shoulder and the cowboy wrapped his arms around Octavius, holding onto the man he loved, wishing he could hold onto this moment just the same. 

* * *

A week later, they found themselves in quite a chaotic situation. 

It was supposed to be a fancy evening at the museum. Larry had worked hard with McPhee and the exhibits to create the perfect evening for the guests that would be coming to the event. 

Jed and Octavius had spent the earlier part of the night watching cat videos on the computer, laughing together as a cat chased a lazer. Larry had walked up to where they were, asking them to head back to their places for when the party began. He and Octavius were not performing, unlike the other's, but they had wanted to watch just the same. 

Jed and Octavius hid with some of their men behind a table of food as the dinner began. He and Octavius shared some food, talking quietly as they waited for the show to begin. They clapped as Teddy made his entrance, the President's speech enthralling as he introduced the constellations, their shimmering forms lighting and sparkling across the room as they soared. 

Just as Dexter was lowered from the ceiling to perform acrobatics, Jedediah felt strange. He shook his head, trying to rid whatever he was feeling, but it was no use. 

Jed was feeling like being _bad_.

He hated looking at all of the giant people. Jed wanted to wipe the grins off of their faces. He smirked evilly, thinking quickly about what he could do to make the night more interesting. Jed glanced over at Octavius and saw that the Roman had a mischievous look on his face. 

Jed grinned, looking back at his men. He grabbed a long roll of rope from one of his men, tossing one end to Octavius, who caught it easily. 

"Let's have some fun boys!" Jed yelled.

In mere seconds, all hell broke loose. 

* * *

 Later, Jedediah and Octavius stood together on the staircase, feeling very disappointed with themselves.

And they were not the only ones. 

Animals, soldiers, Neanderthals, and Huns were there with them. Teddy and Sacagawea sat with them as well. 

There had been fire, a stampede, an angry T-rex skeleton, Romans and cowboys tripping unsuspecting guests...

It had been a terrible night, and no one knew why it had happened. Larry was livid, despite his forced calm voice, they knew that they had messed up the night. He was interrogating everyone, asking what had happened. Larry grew angrier and angrier. It wasn't until Dexter interrupted Larry (quite rudely), and Larry began to scold him that Jedediah found his voice. 

"Whoah, woah! Now ease up on the reins there, Hoss! Can't ya see he feels terrible? Hell, we all do!" Jed exclaimed.

"You know, I don't know what's going on with everybody here, but tonight was really weird. Really weird!" Larry snapped, eyeing all of the guilty looking exhibits. 

"We feel awful Larry! Something took hold of us, like an evil spell." Octavius interjected, and Jed nodded beside him. 

"Yeah, like we just weren't ourselves..." Jed sighed. 

Larry looked exasperated but said nothing else. What else could be said about this horrible night? Larry walked away and slowly the exhibits made their way back to their places in the museum. Sacagawea carried Jed and Octavius back to their dioramas where she set them down in Rome.

* * *

 Octavius led Jedediah to a quiet area away from his men. The cowboy watched, leaning up against a stone pillar, as the Roman began to pace back and forth quickly like he always did when he was distressed. Jedediah thought quickly about what he could say to make his husband feel better, but he honestly did not know. They had acted horribly, ruined the night for Larry and the museum. Jed knew that Larry was going to be raked across hot coals by McPhee for what had happened. The only small comfort that was to be had was that he and Octavius were not the only ones to act strange that night.

" I thought that it was just you and I that have been acting strangely, but after tonight... There is something else going on, Jedediah." Octavius mused, slowly his pacing to stand before the cowboy. 

"That's just what I was thinkin'." Jed nodded.

 They were silent, deep in thought. Jedediah removed his hat, running a gloved hand through his blond hair. After a moment, he heard Octavius gasp. 

"Oct?" 

"Jedediah, I think... I think there must be something wrong with the Tablet of Ahkmenrah!" Octavius exclaimed. 

They stared at each other. Jed could feel it in his gut that Octavius was right. 

"Aw, fuck!" Jed growled.

 "Jed..." Octavius murmured weakly.

Now it was Jed's turn to pace around, with Octavius watching him sadly. Jed was angry, confused, scared. All his fears from before they were married were coming true, and he didn't know what they could do. 

"Do ya think Larry knows?" Jed wondered out loud after a few minutes.

"Judging by how he reacted to this night, I very much doubt it." Octavius sighed as he removed his helmet from his head.

"Maybe Ol' Pharaoh knows... I ain't seen him around t'night." Jed grumbled, crossing his arms. 

"We will have to tell them our suspicions tomorrow night, Jedediah. This night is almost over..." Octavius said, a worried look on his face. 

Octavius turned away from Jedediah, facing the stone pillar. Jed watched him carefully. He saw Octavius' body begin to shake. Jed's eyes widened, realizing that Octavius was scared. They had been married long enough for Jedediah to know what Octavius was thinking.

What if they did not wake up the next night?

Jed felt like his heart was in a tight grip. He swallowed, feeling like he could not breathe. 

No. No no no. He needed to be brave for Octavius. 

He reached a shaking hand out, placing it gently on Octavius' shoulder. His husband did not turn around, but he raised his own hand to place it gently upon Jed's. Jedediah carefully turned Octavius around, his heart breaking as he saw the tears he knew would be there. In seconds he was holding Octavius tightly in his arms. 

 " _Mi amor_... I cannot stand the thought of being without you." Octavius sobbed. 

"Hey... Octavius..." Jed whispered, kissing his husband's face.

"It's gonna be okay partner. We're gonna figure 'n fix everythin' out, kay?" Jed murmured, rubbing Octavius' back.

Octavius looked into Jed's eyes, and Jed could see Octavius' love and trust in them. Jedediah brought his hands up to cradle Octavius' face, his thumbs stroking the tears off of his smooth cheeks.

"Kiss me, Jedediah." Octavius whispered, making the cowboy smile sadly.

"I'll kiss ya... but ya gotta promise this ain't no goodbye kiss." Jed whispered, waiting for a moment before Octavius nodded. 

Octavius held the back of Jed's neck as he brought his lips to Jedediah's, kissing the cowboy deeply. Jedediah kissed his husband back, his heart pounding in his chest. Octavius moaned softly as their tongues slid against each other, his hold on Jedediah's body tightening. They parted to breathe, their chests rising and falling rapidly as they pressed soft kisses against each other's lips.

Jedediah would never give up on their love. 

 "...Guess I should make my way back to the Old West." Jed whispered sadly.

Octavius shook his head, kissing Jedediah once more. 

"The museum is closed tomorrow... Please stay with me."

They stayed in each other's arms as the morning sun rose.

If they did not wake up that night, they were at least where they needed to be. 


	9. Chapter 9

The day after the disastrous party, Octavius and Jedediah woke where they had frozen the night before, in each other's arms. Octavius smiled, kissing Jedediah hello, but he knew that they could not spend the night alone together.

They made their way quickly to the lobby, where Larry and their friends were standing around talking excitedly.  

Their suspicions had been correct, to their dismay. Something was indeed wrong with Ahkmenrah's magic tablet. The tablet was corroding, rusting. Octavius tried to keep a brave face as he listened to Larry and Ahkmenrah discuss what could be done, but he held Jedediah's hand tightly. He was scared.

Larry was leaving. He and Nick and Ahkmenrah were going to London, to the British Museum to find Ahkmenrah's mother and father. Larry hoped that there, they could ask Ahk's father how to fix the tablet. After they finished their discussion, Larry began his preparations to leave with Ahkmenrah trailing behind him, a worried look on his face. 

Octavius turned to look at Jedediah. The cowboy had a worried look on his face, his arms were at his sides, fists clenched. 

Octavius went to him, wrapping his arms around his husband. After a moment Jed relaxed, raising his arms to hold Octavius. 

"Jedediah. I told you the day we were married that I would fight for our love... I will not stay here, wondering how long we have together when we could go with Larry and make sure we fix the tablet." Octavius said, holding Jed's shoulders. 

It was a moment before Jed's mouth cracked into a smile, his blue eyes gleaming. He pulled Octavius against him, kissing the Roman on the lips.

"Let's go to London, partner!" Jed exclaimed, grabbing Octavius' hand.

This was going to be quite the adventure.

* * *

Evidently, they were not the only ones with the idea to stow away for a trip to London. 

Octavius and Jed found themselves packed away in Ahkmenrah's crate with the Pharaoh, Teddy, Sacagawea, Attila, Dexter, and for some strange reason Larry's Neanderthal look-a-like, Laa. Despite their miniature size, Octavius felt quite cramped among the others. He and Jedediah crouched together in a pile of foam packing peanuts, holding each other as they felt the crate begin to move. Octavius grabbed Jedediah's hand in his, praying to Jupiter that whatever they were going to face, that he and Jedediah would be together. As if reading his thoughts, Jed held Octavius closer, kissing his husband on the cheek.

"We're gonna be fine baby. You'll see." 

* * *

 Many hours later Octavius woke, not knowing when he had frozen, but glad to find that they had reached their destination of London. He heard Jedediah groan and stretch beside him. The other's were waking as well, and soon Attila used his strength to push the crate open. Ahkmenrah got out of his coffin, climbed out of the crate and ran to the door quickly to let Larry in. Octavius and Jed climbed onto the front of Attila's fur hat just as Larry walked in with Nick and Ahkmenrah following behind him. The night guard was surprised to see them all, but did not waste time to scold them for being there. They had to get to the Egyptian room before the night was over. 

 Soon they were on their way, walking through a dark and completely new museum. Larry's flashlight shined as he lead them onward. The museum was slowly coming to life, and they all passed through a room filled with stone and marble statues that moved about slowly, some with missing limbs.

"What kinda haunted hootenanny is this boys?" Jed whispered, looking warily at the statues. 

"We're all finding this super creepy right?" Nick asked, staying close to Larry. 

"They're just a little freaked out." Larry said, shining his light on the flailing statues. 

"First time we came alive took some getting used to." Teddy added. 

They left the room and found themselves in a long hallway filled with taxidermy heads of many different kinds of animals. The animals turned their heads creepily to stare at them as the entered. Octavius could hear their noises as they made their way down the hall. 

A much louder noise came from down the hall. The sound was quite familiar to Octavius, but he did not no why until the source of the noise rounded the corner. It was a dinosaur skeleton, a Triceratops if Octavius was not mistaken, lumbering down the hall. Unlike the friendly dinosaur that they had back home, this one did not seem too friendly as it faced their group, crouching down with it's deadly looking horns pointed directly at them all. 

"We'll just be down here if anyone needs us." Jed whispered, tugging on Octavius tunic so that he and Jed were crouched down in Attila's fur hat. 

"We're not scared, it's just more comfortable..." Octavius added. 

"I think it's safe to say that we're in a bit of trouble." Octavius heard Teddy say. 

"I know how to handle this guy." Larry said. 

They soon learned that Larry did _not_ know how to handle the dinosaur. 

They held on to Attila's hat as their friends ran careening out of the room as a very angry Triceratops chased behind them. The beast's roar was deafening, Octavius covered his ears with his hands. Larry and the others ran quickly to escape. Attila made a sharp turn and Octavius felt his body slip, and he was falling. 

"Octavius!" Jed yelled, quickly leaping from the hat.

They fell, Octavius tried to reach his arms to grab Jedediah but it was no use. Just when he thought they were going to hit the floor, they fell through a metal grate. For a brief moment Octavius hung, his cape caught on the grate before it tore away from his tunic and he was falling fast once more. 

He and Jedediah screamed as they fell down a large vent, limbs flailing. Hot air rushed against their bodies and it was hard to breathe. There was nothing for them to grab onto.

"GIGANTOR!!" 

"LARRY!!"

 They reached the end of the vent, their bodies slamming against a bumpy wall. The hot air kept blowing against them, dust and debri flew around them as they screamed. Their was so much pressure on Octavius' body and it was painful. His arm desperately reached over to Jedediah.

"This is the end, boy! This is the last roundup!" Jed cried over the noise.

"Hold my hand!" Octavius yelled, fingers outstretched, trying to grab the cowboy's hand.

Just as Jedediah was about to grab Octavius' hand, everything- the noise, the hot air, and their screaming, stopped. The centurion and the cowboy fell like sacks of flour onto the metal of the vent. They laid there for a moment, trying to catch their breath. 

"Thank Jupiter it stopped!" Octavius gasped.

Octavius slowly stood on unsteady legs and went to Jedediah, helping his husband up. Jedediah promptly hugged him tight and Octavius smiled, glad that they were alright. They took a few moments to dust themselves off before they made the only choice to start walking. 

Octavius wondered if Larry and the others had escaped the dinosaur.

* * *

 Jed and Octavius walked quickly, trying to find somewhere to escape the vent. Octavius did not know how long they had before the hot air would turn on again. Eventually, they spotted a sliver of light coming from the floor of the vent and they went to it. There were thin slats open, big enough for he and Jedediah to slide through, but where would that lead to?

"Ah, can't really see much... Could jump down and hope for the best?" Jedediah suggested, leaning down to look. 

"We have no idea what's down there." Octavius grumbled. 

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted behind them. It sounded like the roar of a terrible beast. Octavius and Jedediah turned around slowly, but they could not see what was there. 

"We don't know what's up here either." Jed breathed. 

Whatever it was, it's large shadow was rounding the corner. Octavius looked at Jedediah, their eyes wide before they ultimately chose to jump, yelling as they did so. 

The drop was not as far as Octavius had thought, however it still slightly hurt when they landed on a hard surface. The wind was knocked out of his body, and he quickly looked over to where Jedediah had fallen, relieved to see that his husband was not hurt. Octavius stood up, helping Jedediah to his feet as the cowboy groaned. 

Octavius surveyed their surroundings and his mouth fell open. Jedediah turned left and right, looking around in wonder.

"This is a Roman city." Octavius said, looking around. 

"I can feel it's familiar pull of history in its very foundations..." Octavius murmured.

"Where the heck is everybody..." Jed whispered.

"I've seen this town before, I'm sure of it..." Octavius muttered.  

"Romans?!" Jedediah called, but no one appeared or answered.

* * *

There was nothing else they could do but walk, hoping to find someone that they could speak to. They walked and walked. Octavius hoped that Larry and the others had gone on to the Egyptian exhibit to fix the tablet. Octavius was lost in thought when they reached the edge of the diorama. They stopped, and Octavius kneeled to look down. He could see a plaque that had a word upon it, but it was difficult to read upside down.

"Liepwop." Octavius read. "...liepwop."

"Doesn't ring a bell." Octavius said, peering up at Jedediah.

Jedediah tapped his shoulder and Octavius stood. He turned his head to where Jedediah was looking and saw a marble Roman bust within a glass case. It had come alive due to the tablet's magic. It was yelling to Octavius and Jedediah, but it's voice was muffled by the glass. 

"Now who's this son of a gun?" Jed wondered out loud. 

The bust kept shouting, but it was no use. 

"I'm sorry, I'm having trouble hearing you!" Octavius called.

"No comprendo, amigo, because you got the thing in front of ya-" Jed tried to explain, before Octavius stopped him, pointing to where a large crowd of Roman citizens were running and shouting. 

"What are they doing?" Octavius asked.

"Where in the blazes are they stampeding off to?" Jed grumbled, before grinning at Octavius.

"Was it something we said?" Jed shouted, before raising his arms and growling like a monster.

Octavius laughed, imitating Jedediah. 

"Come on back to liepwop! There's plenty of room!" Octavius chuckled, waving his arms and making Jedediah laugh harder, the cowboy slapping his knee.

"They're as crazy as road lizards..." Jed chuckled.

"People are strange." Octavius mused. 

"Liepwop... liepwop... You sure you were reading that right pal?" Jed asked Octavius. 

Octavius shrugged, still watching the marble bust yell at them. It opened it's mouth wide, and then with a marble tongue it motioned towards something. Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to shake, a low rumbling was heard and Octavius and Jedediah turned around slowly. Behind them was a huge, angry red volcano in the distance. Smoke was billowing from the top and it began to shoot fire and lava spilled from the very top. Memories of history sped quickly through Octavius' mind, and he came to a horrible realization of what "liepwop" actually was.

"Ohhh... Pompeii."

* * *

 They were running for their lives, screaming at the top of their lungs as hot lava followed right behind them. Octavius could feel the flames almost licking against his skin and did not want to imagine what it would feel like if it caught up to them. Octavius ran faster, grabbing Jedediah's hand as he sprinted forward.

"WHY IS THERE LAVA? THERE WAS NO LAVA AT POMPEII?!!" Octavius yelled, gritting his teeth, his sides aching as he ran.

" _Why_ are you questionin' the damn volcano?! JUST RUN!!" Jed gasped.  

They kept running with the lava hot on their heels until, to their horror, they reached a dead end. Lava was coming fast from the left, right, and from behind them all at once. Octavius felt terrified as he and Jedediah could do nothing else but back themselves against a wall. Octavius gritted his teeth, sweat dripping from his brow. The heat was unbearable.

"This is the last roundup, kemosabe! Time to slap on the barbecue sauce!" Jed cried, a look of fear in his eyes.

Octavius was about to move to hold Jedediah in his arms, when a noise much louder than the volcano erupted above them. They gasped, looking up to see a huge monstrous shadow looming behind the smoke of the volcano. The smoke began to clear and Octavius finally saw what the monster was.

"Dexter!" Octavius gasped.

The monkey was making his way quickly towards them. Octavius wondered if the monkey would retrieve them when Dexter stopped, a mischievous look on his face. With a sinking feeling, he realized what the monkey was about to do. 

"No no no NO! You WOULDN'T!!" Jed shouted, looking disgusted. 

"He must..." Octavius sighed, shaking his head.

" _The other option is death, the other option is death, the other option is DEATH_." Octavius repeated in his head. 

* * *

Octavius and Jedediah did not speak as they held onto Dexter. They had left Pompeii, but not before sending Larry a photo of them both to tell the night guard they were alive. It was a few minutes of Dexter walking through the British Museum before Jed snapped his fingers and they stopped.

"There's a bathroom. If you could _please_..." Jed muttered, pointing up towards the door for Dexter to see. 

The monkey obeyed and went through the door, jumping up onto a clean counter. Octavius and Jed slid carefully down into a sink.

Several minutes passed as they washed themselves. Dexter happily turned the faucet on for them as Octavius and Jedediah went under the water, not caring that their clothes were getting soaked. Octavius felt much cleaner, which made him feel better. When they were done, Dex shut the water off and Jedediah had him get them out of the sink and carry them carefully over to the dryer on the nearby wall. Octavius shivered in the cold air before a warm gust of air came over his body. In no time, he and Jedediah were dry. 

"Thank you, Dexter." Octavius said as they exited the bathroom, earning a happy noise from the monkey. 

They stood in the empty hallway, looking around. 

"I wonder if we should try to find Larry and the others?" Octavius said, looking at Jed.

The cowboy opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly they heard a strange noise. They looked up to see medieval knight sprinting down the hallway, his armor clanking as he ran.

He had the tablet!

"Whoa, easy there partner!! SLOW IT DOWN." Jed hollered, holding his hands up. 

The knight halted, staring down at the two miniatures. 

"Now I don't know who you are, but I'm pretty dang sure that tablet don't belong to ya!" Jed shouted, pointing a finger angrily up at the giant man. 

But the man only laughed, stepping quickly around them as he continued to run. 

"Whoa wait a second! Come back here! THIS AIN'T OVER!" Jed yelled at the knight. 

"You'll rue the day you dared to cross us!" Octavius shouted.

Jedediah kicked the floor angrily. 

"What should we do now Jed? That man has clearly stolen the tablet! We are not fast enough to catch him." Octavius groaned, feeling distressed. 

"I know partner, I know. But I betcha that Larry an' everybody are gonna be tearin' through here real soon and they'll pick us up." Jed told Octavius, trying to stay positive.

They waited anxiously for a few minutes with Dexter sitting beside them. Octavius wished that he was not so small, he would have stopped that foolish knight in his tracks if he could. He was upset that they had wasted time falling through the vent and running away from lava when they could have been helping Larry. 

Octavius heard footsteps and then he saw Larry running in their direction. 

"LARRY!" Jed called.

The night guard slowed down just as their other friends and some strangers came from another direction, looking worried. Octavius wondered what had happened. 

"Octavius, I believe this belongs to you." Larry said quickly, bending down low to give Octavius his cape. 

"Thank you!" Octavius said taking it from Larry. He quickly attached it to his armor once more as the others gathered in a circle around them.

Octavius looked up, glad to see everyone was alright. However, looking closely at Ahkmenrah he saw that the Pharaoh looked weak. A beautiful Egyptian woman and a noble Egyptian man stood beside him, looking at Larry anxiously. Octavius guessed that they were Ahkmenrah's mother and father. They listened carefully to the others talk, to try and understand the situation. Attila picked them up once more, placing the miniatures on his hat.

"I don't understand, why is Lancelot getting strong while we get weaker?" Teddy asked, sounding exhausted. 

"It's his first night, newborns are stronger but it matters not unless we succeed, he too will be dead come the dawn." Ahk's father said grimly. 

"We can't let him leave the building. Sir, can you go back to Egypt in case he comes through there?" Larry asked the old Pharaoh, who nodded quickly. 

"Nicky, take Attila and check the loading dock!" Larry ordered.

"Got it!" Nick said, beginning to run in the direction that Larry had pointed with Attila and Dexter following. 

* * *

 Lancelot was not in the loading dock. Nicky and Attila looked around quickly. The boy seemed lost, and Octavius was not sure what they should do. 

They made their way back quickly, but as they passed by security, Octavius could see a blonde female night guard in the window. She looked frantic as she picked up the phone. Octavius guessed that she had noticed all of the commotion in the museum and was about to call someone. 

"Nicholas! Attila! The night guard knows!" Octavius cried. 

Nick and Attila made their way over to the small room where she was quickly dialing her phone. Attila burst through the door and the girl screamed as the Hun grabbed the phone and destroyed it. Nick looked apologetic. 

"Hi, hey sorry. I'm Nick, this is Dexter, Attila the Hun..." Nick stammered.

"Oh yeah, so lovely to meet you- MEET THIS HAMMER!" The girl cried, whacking Attila sharply on the head with a yellow hammer. Octavius and Jed yelped, ducking out of the way just in time. 

The girl did it again and Attila grabbed the hammer from her. 

"Don't do that..." Nick sighed, grabbing the hammer that Attila held out to him.

"I'm super sorry, I know it's a lot going on, monkey- wow ,what, this is so weird, huge amount to process-" Nick babbled as they pushed themselves out of the door, Attila slamming it behind them so the night guard was trapped.

"Sorry, thank you!" Nick said as they turned around and ran back to the museum. 

* * *

 At the front entrance they found Ahkmenrah standing outside looking weaker and worried. They asked the Pharaoh if he was alright, but Ahk only shook his head.

Soon the others burst through the front door. They all quickly got caught up with what had happened. 

"Okay we have to go get Lancelot and make sure the security guard doesn't get out!" Larry said.

Laa grunted, motioning to himself and Larry looked at him. The Neanderthal had volunteered to stay. 

"Yeah, okay, you know what you gotta do, right?" Larry asked Laa.

"Stay!" Laa grunted, holding his hands up. 

"Just make sure she stays in there!" Larry said.

"Stay!" Laa grunted again. 

"Good! Go!" Larry commanded, watching the Neanderthal run away quickly. 

"Lawrence! I can't move my arms..." Teddy murmured. "We're becoming less useful by the minute."

Attila suddenly cried out in pain, his knees buckling. Octavius grabbed Jedediah and they held on tight to the Hun's hat as Attila began to fall, but was caught by Larry. Larry and Nick helped him up and Octavius and Jedediah sighed in relief.

"That was close!" Jed whispered.

"Whoa, big guy, you okay there?" Larry asked Attila, who shook his head. 

"Okay, something is up with your eye..." Larry muttered, looking at Attila with a confused expression. Attila mumbled something in Hun.

"I dunno, it's just kinda going-" Larry tried to explain, before Attila began to babble loudly in his language. 

Larry tried to calm him down, but the Hun continued to scream before Larry raised his hand. He slapped Attila, silencing the Hun. After that Attila calmed down, but everyone else was still anxious.

"Dad, there's like eight million people in this city. He could be anywhere by now..." Nick said worriedly, speaking of Sir Lancelot.

 " Oh we'll find him." Larry assured his son. "We have to."

Octavius looked at Jedediah, seeing the worried look on his husband's face. This did seem hopeless. Octavius now wished that he was back home with Jedediah, spending one final night with the man he loved. Just as he thought this, Jed turned his head to look at him, the cowboy cracking a grin. Jed pulled him close, hugging Octavius tightly. Octavius hugged Jedediah back, resting his chin on Jed's shoulder. 

They had to try to get the tablet back. 

Octavius would fight until his last breath. 

* * *

 The group began running through the city of London. People, animals, cars, and so many other things were a blur as they all ran, searching for the rogue knight. Octavius and Jed held tight to Attila's hat, determined not to fall off of it as the Hun ran. They stopped as Sacagawea held up her hand. The Shoshone woman kneeled down to look at the ground, and Octavius could see that she was looking at a hoof print on the ground. 

"They came this way, traveling four leagues per hour." She said softly, standing up straight. 

Suddenly, they all heard people screaming. The group began running, without saying anything they knew that Lancelot had to be the source of it. They ran towards the sound, but there was no Lancelot. Instead, due to the Tablet of Ahkmenrah, huge lion sculptures had come to life. The lions moved quickly, their bodies clinking against the ground as they stalked shrieking Londoners. They growled and roared, bearing their fangs as they did so. Larry and the others stopped in their tracks as they approached the lions on a stone staircase. 

"Never run from a big cat, Lawrence." Teddy advised, his arms still frozen awkwardly. 

Octavius wondered what they were going to do as the lions advanced, roaring at them when Jed jumped up beside him. 

"Gigantor get yer flashlight out! These cats wanna play!" Jed shouted excitedly for Larry to hear. 

The night guard realized what the cowboy meant and whipped out his trusty flashlight, shining the bright light upon the ground near a lion. Jedediah cheered as Larry started to spin the light around. The lions immediately began to chase the light, their paws hitting the ground as they tried to catch it. Octavius and Jed laughed, holding their sides as they watched. It was just like their favorite cat videos!

"That was quite clever, Jedediah!" Octavius chuckled, wiping his eyes. Jedediah gave him a wide grin.

"Where the devil could Lancelot be?" Teddy wondered, looking around.

Larry looked around quickly, his eyes suddenly stopping on something. Octavius and Jed peered over Attila's hat to see that Larry was staring at a red bus with a large advertisement for "Camelot" on it.  

"Come on!" Larry shouted, beginning to run. The others followed quickly, running past the now tamed lions. 

And that was how Octavius and Jedediah found themselves on a bus for the first time ever. Octavius was surprised that everyone had been let on, but they took their seats at the very back. Some passengers peered at them curiously but went back to reading or on their phones. Attila set the miniatures near the back window as they sat down. Octavius and Jedediah held onto the smooth metal bar above them as the bus began to move. 

Octavius was worried. He hoped that they could get to the tablet in time. Larry had told them that all the tablet needed was moonlight, but the foolish knight Sir Lancelot had stolen it from him, and threatened Nick's life, before Larry could fix it. 

Octavius was lost in his worried thoughts when he felt Jedediah wrap an arm around his waist. He looked into Jed's blue eyes, the cowboy smiling gently. Octavius closed his eyes, blushing as Jedediah brought his lips to Octavius', kissing the Roman softly. Octavius kissed him back, bringing a hand down to cup Jed's cheek. 

"I dunno how tonight's gonna end, but I'm sure glad I'm with ya." Jed whispered in his ear, kissing it softly. Octavius smiled sadly, kissing Jedediah again, praying that they would always be together.

They heard giggling and looked to see two small children, a boy and a girl, staring at them. Octavius blushed and Jed rolled his eyes. 

"We're just as God made us!" Jed called. 

The children's eyes widened, staring at the tiny cowboy with their mouths open.

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer!" Jed groused, not wanting to be stared at.

Octavius could only chuckle as the little girl lifted a blue phone up and snapped a picture of the cowboy and the Roman. 

* * *

 It was not long before they reached their destination and everyone exited the bus quickly. Octavius briefly saw that they had come to what looked like a large theater. The theater had a sign much like the one on the bus, the name "Camelot" shining brightly. Larry and the others wasted no time and sprinted towards the theater. Octavius and Jed held onto Attila's hat as they pushed past people in the lobby, their faces a blur as they reached a large door. Octavius could hear someone shouting angrily inside before Larry and Attila slammed the door open with their bodies, bursting into the packed theater. 

There on stage waving his sword angrily at a somehow familiar actor was Sir Lancelot. The knight had a crazed look as he shouted at the actors on stage, before he noticed that Larry and everyone were running towards him. The audience screamed, rushing out of their seats as they made their way towards the stage. Lancelot growled, sheathing his sword and grabbed a torch that was near him. The knight made a run for it, bursting through a door by the stage. 

They all quickly climbed onto the stage, rushing past the perplexed actors. Octavius' heart was pounding. If they could catch up to Lancelot, they might have a chance!

Without looking he grabbed Jed's hand, squeezing it hard. The cowboy squeezed back. 

* * *

 They ran through many doors and up many stairs, following the haphazard trail that Lancelot left for them to follow. Octavius felt the cold night air against his skin as they burst through the last door, finding themselves on the roof of the theater. 

 Larry jumped down the metal stairs, shouting at the knight who had trapped himself on the roof.

"GIVE ME THE TABLET!" Larry shouted, halting in his tracks to face an angry looking Lancelot. 

"Stay back, BACK!" Lancelot ordered, waving the fiery torch in front of Larry, who backed up quickly. 

It was just then that Octavius realized that something was wrong with Lancelot's face. Larry noticed to, an odd look on his face. Lancelot looked confused.

"What?" He barked, still slightly waving the torch.

Jedediah gagged, seeing what Octavius could see. 

"It's just your, uh, your nose it's" Larry tried to explain, motioning to the knight's face.

"What? What about my nose?" Lancelot demanded, still clueless.

"Your nose, it's dripping! Melting, from the fire!" Larry snapped. 

Lancelot glanced down and yelped. His nose was indeed melting, the wax of his body had softened from the flame of the torch. It was quite grotesque and Octavius glanced at Jedediah to see the cowboy's look of disgust.

 The knight dropped the torch into a barrel of water and pulled his sword out, pointing it at Larry. Octavius could see the Tablet of Ahkmenrah under his arm and his heart leapt. 

"How bad is it?!" Lancelot demanded.

"It's... not... great-" Larry stammered.

"But I'm LANCELOT!" The knight bellowed.

"There never was a Lancelot!" Larry snapped. "Lancelot is a legend, you're not real!"

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Lancelot shouted, and Octavius could see the pain and confusion in his eyes. 

"I know, I know it's a lot to take in, but _please_ , just give me the tablet!" Larry begged, holding his hand out. 

"Oh, and then what? Back to the museum?" Lancelot sneered, his melted nose swinging awkwardly as he jerked his head to the side. 

 "Stand there as little children ogle and point-"

"And learn!" Teddy interjected, walking down the stairs. "And get inspired to do great things. There are far less noble fates, my friend." 

"Not for me there aren't! If there is no Camelot, there is no Guinevere, and no Lancelot, then th-there's n-nothing and I'm just a sad lump of misshapen wax- STOP LOOKING AT MY NOSE!" Lancelot screamed.

As Larry and the knight continued to argue, Octavius' head began to hurt. He felt dizzy, his vision blurring. He turned his head slowly to look at Jedediah, trying to speak, but it was as if Octavius had lost his voice. The tablet shined blue in Lacelot's arms. 

They were out of time.

* * *

  _How had it come to this?_

The question flitted through Octavius' mind as he felt himself falling through air. He cried out, his arms reaching, searching for his husband, searching for Jedediah. Jed's arms grabbed his, pulling Octavius against his body, shielding him from the inevitable impact of the hard ground. They had been riding in Attila's fur hat when Attila had fallen, and they had fallen with him.

Everything was falling apart.

Time seemed to slow around them. Larry, who had begun pleading with Lancelot for the tablet was fading out. Their friends had begun to freeze, becoming lifeless. Ahkmenrah was gasping for breath, his body decaying rapidly. They were dying. It was too late.

It was hopeless. 

He and Jedediah had fallen weakly against the ground, their bodies close together. Octavius was dizzy, his limbs felt heavy. He heard Jedediah struggling next to him, the cowboy was trying to get up, but he just couldn't.

They could only lay there, realizing what was happening.  

"...I'll take that hand now." Jedediah whispered.

Octavius turned his head, despite how hard it was to do so, to look at Jedediah. 

Jed smiled at him, his fingers flexing weakly. Octavius felt pain in his heart as he slowly brought his arm up.

He felt the cowboy's glove against his fingertips, their hands had come together. 

Octavius felt a warm tear fall from his eye and it froze against his cheek. Jed's blue eyes had stopped blinking, his gaze frozen upon Octavius. Jedediah's breathing slowed and then stopped.

Octavius let out a sob and his hand held Jed's tighter. He turned his head, feeling his body almost turned completely plastic.

His eyes were cast upward, the night sky dark in his vision, snow drifting slowly down. 

He would not be afraid.

* * *

"Lacelot, please!" Larry begged the knight, his hand reaching desperately for the tablet.

All around him his friends, no, his family were collapsing, dying as the tablet deteriorated. 

"Listen to me, you gotta straighten the pieces! Straighten the pieces, right now, or they're all gonna die!! YOU TOO!!" Larry yelled at the knight. 

"It doesn't matter. A world without Camelot is not a world worth living in." Lancelot said, holding the tablet away from Larry. 

Larry wanted to scream, sword be damned he was about to tackle Lancelot when Nick cried out "Dad!!"

It was Dexter. The monkey had collapsed to the ground. Larry hurried to his side. 

"Dexter, what is it?" Larry asked softly. 

 Dexter made a pitiful noise, his body moving weakly against the ground. He looked up at Larry with his dark eyes, the light fading from them fast. 

"Hey, you alright?" Larry asked desperately.

Dexter raised his little arm weakly, as if to slap Larry, but he did not, could not. He whimpered sadly, his arm falling to his side as Larry stared at the little monkey.

"Dex?" Larry whispered, letting the monkey hold his index finger in his tiny hand. Larry watched sadly as Dexter's eyes drifted closed, the grip on his finger weak before he let Larry go.  

"Dexter? Dexter!"

"Dad, he's gone." Nick said sadly. 

Larry bowed his head. He turned slowly to look at his friends. Teddy and Sacagawea had frozen, their hands still clasped. Attila was still, sprawled on the ground. Beside the Hun, with pain in Larry's heart, he saw the tiny bodies of Octavius and Jedediah. In their last moments the two men had taken each other's hand, lying close together.

Larry remembered all those years ago how he had promised to Jedediah that he would do all he could to keep them safe, to keep Octavius and Jedediah together.

He had failed them. 

 "I understand now."

Larry looks up at Lancelot, the knight looking at him sadly. 

"The monkey was the quest. It was never about the tablet." Lancelot said softly, kneeling down beside Larry. "It was about them."

Larry couldn't speak, but yes. It was about them.

"Forgive me..." Lancelot whispered, holding out the rusted tablet to Larry.

With a thrill in his heart Larry took the tablet from the knight. Some of the gold on the tablet remained, a symbol of hope for Larry. His fingers flew as he quickly pressed the pieces into proper order, his heart pounding, praying, hoping-

The Tablet of Ahkmenrah began to glow brightly, the dark rust fading away as it turned to gold once more. The moon light was working! 

Larry had done it!

* * *

_Octavius felt the warmth of sunlight on his skin._

_Octavius had been here before in his dreams. He was standing in a large green field that seemed to go on and on._

_Octavius took a few slow steps, the grass soft beneath his feet. The Roman took a deep breath, looking up at the sky. It was vast, large pale clouds rolled through the soft blue._

_It reminded him of..._

_Octavius!_

_He turned his head towards the sound, but there was nothing._

_Octavius!_

_A voice seemed to be calling to him from above. He looked up to the sky once more. The clouds were gone._

_All he could see was blue._

_Wake up..._

* * *

"Octy!"

Octavius gasped, air coming into his lungs. He blinked, things were coming into focus again. He was looking into Jedediah's eyes. The cowboy smiled happily, holding Octavius in his arms. Jedediah had tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"Jedediah? Are we-" Octavius whispered, reaching a hand to touch his husband's face.

"We're back, baby! The tablet's fixed!" Jed cried happily, hugging Octavius tightly. 

Jedediah helped Octavius to his feet, throwing his arms around Octavius again. Octavius was overjoyed to see that his friends were all alive and well, hugging Larry tightly. Attila picked up Octavius and Jedediah and placed them in his hat where they sat close together, arms wrapped around each other.

"WELL DONE, LARRY!" Octavius proclaimed, smiling brightly. 

Their friends were smiling brightly at Larry, who had gone to speak to Lancelot.

Octavius gazed at Jedediah, glad that they were alive once more.

The cowboy smiled as Octavius wrapped his arms around Jed's shoulders, leaning forward for a kiss.  

* * *

 They made the return trip back to the British Museum. Octavius did not leave Jed's side as they walked through the front doors. Larry had gone to fetch Laa and speak with the blonde night guard. Ahkmenrah, with a bright smile upon his face, ran into his mother's arms. Ahkmenrah's father stood beside them, looking overjoyed that his family was together once more. 

Everyone stood around, talking quietly. It had been quite a night.

Octavius and Jedediah sat in Attila's hat, relaxing after all they had been through.

Octavius rubbed his neck. He had so many thoughts and emotions running through his mind about tonight.

"Jedediah... I have something to tell you. It's important." Octavius said, taking the cowboy's hand.

"Sure, partner." Jed said, looking at Octavius.

Octavius looked at his husband, Jed's expression was calm. Jedediah seemed different, older somehow. Octavius knew that he still had his wonderful spark, but after tonight he knew that things would be different.

"When we were up on the roof and we... well, things were not looking so good for us... I was surprised to find that I was not as scared as I thought it would be. I almost... well. I was ready." Octavius admitted, looking down at their hands together.

"I know what ya mean." Jed said a moment later.

"You do?" Octavius asked.

"Yeah... I was scared, thinkin', "This is the last time I'm ever gonna see Octy.", but when I froze... I still felt alive." 

Jed looked at Octavius, his eyes softening.

"My heart was tellin' me that we'd be t'gether somehow..." Jed told him.

 "Mine was as well." Octavius said, nodding his head. 

They were quiet for a few minutes. Jed stroked Octavius' hand with his thumb. Octavius scooted closer to the cowboy and Jed let go of his hand to wrap his arm around the centurion. Octavius smiled, resting his head on Jed's shoulder.

"Ahkmenrah will stay here, with his parents. So naturally the tablet shall stay here as well." Octavius said quietly.

"Yup." Jed agreed.

"I... I think that we should return to New York." Octavius whispered. 

Jed was silent, his head bowed. After a moment he nodded, lifting his head to smile softly at Octavius.

"We won't be able to wake up anymore." Octavius whispered sadly.

"I know... but that's where home is." Jed murmured, bringing his lips close to Octavius', kissing his husband gently.

"He is right."

They turned to see Teddy and Sacagawea standing close by, holding each other's hands. They smiled sadly at Octavius and Jedediah. 

"We should go back to New York. We should go home." Teddy said wisely.

They were all quiet. 

"Yes. Yes, we should." Octavius sighed. 

"So we're in agreement." Teddy smiled, turning to speak to Larry who had been speaking with the Pharaoh. 

"Lawrence? If I might have a word?" Teddy asked Larry, who nodded.

"The others and I have been talking..." Teddy began.

"Ahkmenrah's place is here, with his family." Octavius said, clasping his hands together. "He must remain here."

"And the tablet should stay here as well, son." Teddy said to Larry.

"It's where it belongs Gigantor..." Jed sighed, shaking his head.

Larry looked at each of their faces with a sad expression.

"Y-yeah, but that means... That means you guys would have to stay." Larry said.

"We belong in New York." Wea said softly. 

Attila mumbled an agreement in Hun. 

"If... If you guys go, you won't be alive after tonight." Larry whispered. 

"We're museum exhibits, Laredo. That's what we are. Folks come to look at us... Maybe learn a little somethin'. That's the life, man." Jed said softly.

"But I'm, I'm supposed to take care of you guys." Larry said, his voice cracking.

"And you have." Teddy told the night guard. "It's okay Lawrence. We're ready."

"I'm not..." Larry sighed, shaking his head. 

"Let us go, son." Teddy said gently.

* * *

They said their goodbyes to Ahkmenrah, who tearfully watched them leave , standing beside his mother and father. 

Octavius and Jedediah held each other close during the flight home. Nick had said that they could get back to their museum in New York before the sun came up.

Octavius was exhausted, his eyes fluttering to stay open as he gazed at Jedediah's handsome face. It had been a long night, but it had been an adventure. 

Jedediah brushed soft kisses against his lips, his nose, his forehead. 

"You can sleep if ya want, baby." Jed whispered.

Octavius only smiled, pressing his lips against Jedediah's.

* * *

 They made it back to the museum with an hour left in the night.

Larry was doing one final round, not as a night guard, but as a man saying goodbye to his friends who had been his family for so many wonderful years.

He sat with Octavius and Jedediah for a few minutes. The husbands looked up at their friend, smiling as Larry tried to say goodbye.

"You know what I'm gonna remember the most about you?" Larry said softly.

"What?" Jed asked.

"...How big you guys are." Larry said, smiling.

Octavius and Jedediah grinned up at the man. Jed raised his arms up and out to Larry.

"Come here!" Jed said. "Hold me."

Larry laughed and put his hand down near the miniatures. Octavius saw the tears in Larry's eyes as he embraced the man's thumb.

He would always be their friend.

* * *

Larry had carried them to the front desk, gently setting them beside the house that the man had given them on their wedding day. Larry smiled sadly before walking away.

Octavius ran his fingers over the front door of their house, tracing the gold paint of their initals. Octavius was silently saying goodbye, goodbye to this life he had spent with Jedediah in the museum. 

Octavius did not know how long he stood there before he felt Jedediah's gentle hand on his shoulder. Octavius looked at their home one last time, before turning around to face his husband. 

They were almost out of time.

 Octavius opened his mouth to speak, to sadly suggest that they go back to their dioramas before...

The words died in his throat, but it did not matter anyway. Jed knew what he was going to say and the cowboy shook his head. 

"I ain't leavin' ya." Jed whispered, holding his hand out to Octavius.

Octavius reached his hand out to take Jedediah's. The cowboy smiled, slowly pulling Octavius towards him. They held each other tight. Octavius could feel their hearts beating, could almost hear them as he held Jedediah close. The cowboy nuzzled his face against Octavius' neck, kissing his skin softly making Octavius shiver. 

"I love you." Octavius whispered, his voice cracking.

"Oh God, I love you-" Jed gasped, capturing Octavius' lips with his own. 

Octavius wanted to be frozen this way. 

They kissed, passionately, desperately. Octavius ran his hands over Jedediah's body, feeling the cowboy trembling beneath his fingertips. He too was shaking, moaning, as Jedediah's tongue massaged against his own. Jed's hat fell from his head as Octavius raised a shaking hand to run through Jed's soft blond hair. Octavius felt breathless, his heart crazed with love for the man he had married. He loved Jedediah so much.

The wonderful feeling of it broke over his skin, it's warmth like sunlight, and Jedediah was his blue sky. 

Slowly their lips parted and they tried to catch their breath as they kissed each other softly, again and again and again...

With pain in his heart, Octavius knew that he must let Jedediah go, that they could not hold each other any longer. He gave Jedediah one more kiss, smiling against his husband's lips. 

Octavius backed away from Jedediah slowly, every step he took hurt worse than the last. He stood across from Jedediah, watching as the cowboy placed his hat back on his head with trembling hands. 

They gazed at each other sadly. Octavius bit his lip, wrapping his arms around himself. He needed something, anything, to distract him before he would throw his arms around Jedediah, never letting go...

 "H-hey, Oct. Have I ever told ya the story of our relationship?" Jed asked, his voice rough in his throat. 

Octavius smiled. Jedediah always knew how to make him feel better.

"Please tell me, my love." Octavius whispered, earning a grin from Jed.

Octavius stood before his husband, close enough to touch... but they did not. Instead, Octavius smiled with warm tears streaking his face as he listened to the beautiful words that Jedediah spoke. His eyes never left Jedediah's handsome face as the cowboy told Octavius his favorite story, their story. 

He could not hold Jedediah in their last moments, but Octavius could feel their love surround them like a warm embrace.

* * *

Larry Daley wiped away the tears from his eyes, wishing that they would stop. 

In his hands he gently carried Octavius and Jedediah, who had frozen for the last time. He had found his friends standing in front of the home he had built them, a smile on both of their faces. 

It broke Larry's heart to set them apart, Octavius in Rome, and Jedediah in the Old West.

Larry stood before the dioramas, hating the silence. He walked towards the doorway, taking one final look back before leaving, his heart aching.

This had been the most difficult night of Larry's life. He had said goodbye to everyone, wishing he could spend much more time with each of them.

They were his best friends. They were his family. 

Larry slowly walked back into the front lobby. At the front desk stood Octavius and Jedediah's house. He picked it up carefully, carrying it over to the supply closet they had kept it in. It should stay in the museum with Jed and Octavius. 

It was time to leave. Larry had said his goodbyes and now it was time to move on. He would go on with his life, be a better man. He would support Nick in his endeavors, no matter what they were.

Because who knew that being a night guard would change his life?

Larry stopped in front of Teddy, remembering what the President had told him, the wisdom he had given. He nodded to his friend, before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open. 

Larry smiled, stepping into the sunlight. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter:  
> Rob Thomas, Ever The Same  
> http://tinyurl.com/lkfsq5r

There was a warmth upon his skin that Octavius could only faintly remember from a previous life. 

Octavius breathed deeply, fresh air coming into his lungs, his heart beating within his chest. He blinked, light filling his eyes until a large blue sky came into focus. Octavius was lying upon something soft, grass. He laid still, wondering when this dream would end, hoping that he would wake up and be with Jedediah until he heard a soft noise beside him. Turning his head, Octavius gasped, tears immediately springing to his eyes.

Jedediah laid there beside him. The cowboy's hat was on the grass close to his head, the blond hair shining in the sunlight. The man was asleep, but not for long as Octavius threw his body on top of Jed's, kissing his husband's lips passionately. 

Soft blue met warm brown as Jed opened his eyes, staring at Octavius. The cowboy was silent, and Octavius grinned. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jed launched forward, throwing his arms around Octavius and kissing him breathless. 

"Oh Jedediah, my love, I am overjoyed to be in your arms once more!" Octavius exclaimed, smiling as Jed continued to cover his face with kisses. 

"Me too Oct, me too. I missed you baby." Jed whispered, kissing Octavius on the lips softly. 

They stood up, arms still around each other as they kissed each other sweetly. Octavius leaned down, retrieving Jed's hat from the ground. The cowboy chuckled, dusting it off before placing it on his head. Octavius smiled at the familiar sight. Jed cupped Octavius' face gently in his hands, kissing the Roman again. They smiled against each other's lips, seeing the love in each other's eyes. 

"Jedediah! Octavius!"

They both turned to the sound of their names. Their eyes widened, for there riding upon Tex was Teddy and Sacagawea. Even more surprising, despite the slight distance, Octavius and Jedediah realized that they were no longer miniature. 

"Well I'll be!" Jed shouted happily. 

"I can't believe it!" Octavius exclaimed. 

Jed grabbed Octavius' hand and they began running through the grass. They stopped when they had come close to the horse. Teddy dismounted with ease, and he offered his hand to Wea who took it. The Shoshone woman was holding something in her arms, something wrapped in one of her blankets. Teddy wrapped an arm around her waist, gazing at Wea lovingly. Octavius saw the bundle moving in Wea's arms, and just as he was about to ask what it was, Wea moved the blanket for them to see.

It was Wea's baby boy. The baby's dark eyes were wide, and he smiled at Octavius and Jed, raising his little arms up.

Octavius gasped, and Jed squeezed his hand. 

"Oh Wea, how wonderful!" Octavius said, smiling at the beautiful mother. 

Wea smiled, holding her son close.

"We're so happy to see you!" Jed said, grinning widely. 

"And we are glad to find you here." Teddy told them, his eyes twinkling. 

"Where is "here", exactly?" Octavius asked.

They all walked through the rich green grass. Jed held Octavius' hand in his, while Teddy walked close to Wea with Texas trotting beside them. 

The field of grass they walked upon stretched on and on until as if it appeared out of thin air, in the distance was a marvelous sight. Octavius and Jedediah gasped. It was the most beautiful place that they had ever seen. It was all there, the dioramas and the exhibits that they had known, had inhabited, had come to life and built a civilization that they could share. There was Rome, the Old West, a lush jungle, a vast shimmering ocean...

All of their history was there. It went on and on, this paradise that was theirs. 

Octavius squeezed Jedediah's hand tightly, feeling speechless. Tears sprang into his eyes, overjoyed with what they were given. Octavius thanked all the Gods silently, thanked whoever gave them this heaven that he and Jedediah could spend an endless life in. 

"I wonder how this is possible while there is no more magic." Octavius said, wrapping his arms around his husband, holding him close. 

"I dunno Oct. But I'm just sure glad we're here together." Jedediah murmured, kissing Octavius on the forehead sweetly. 

They held each other for a few moments, looking off into the distance. Jedediah let Octavius go, but grabbed the Roman's hand. Octavius chuckled when Jed flicked his hat up from his eyes, the cowboy giving him a wide grin. 

"Let's go partner! We got lots t'see!" Jed exclaimed, pulling Octavius' hand as he began running. 

"Jedediah!" Octavius laughed, his heart soaring with happiness. 

Teddy and Sacagawea watched them run off, their laughter a sweet song in the bright morning sun. Wea took Teddy's hand in her own and they smiled at each other. Wea's baby boy cooed softly in her arms and Teddy took the boy from her, smiling brightly when he giggled happily. They walked in the sunlight, hand in hand. He gazed at Sacagwea and spoke the words that would always be true.

"The magic never ends!"  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “…once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”  
> \- The Velveteen Rabbit
> 
> Thank you for reading.


End file.
